The Birchwood Twin(s): Toon Town Investigators
by imaginarytoon1
Summary: Two teenagers, while driving through town, discover that they're in a world where cartoons coexist with humans and become a part of an investigation that lead them to crazy mis-adventures and discoveries. Will the teenagers figure out the conclusion of the investigation and find a way back to their home?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

**Beatrice**:

My tomboy nature makes me feel invincible at times. Even in times of trouble, I can still get myself out. Right now, I am a little out of breath, blowing some stray hair strands out of my face, and I am ready to walk out of the tennis courts with a well-deserved victory. I don't have time for any silly girly stuff or messing around. I have my eye…on the ball. Not a baseball…a tennis ball.

When I finally hit the tennis ball with full force, it flew up in the air and landed really close to the other side of the net, where my opponent was standing. She, my opponent, missed the ball and I won the final point for my final match. My opponent played well but I've beaten her pretty good.

"Good game." My opponent said.

I just replied with a silent half-smile that she took as a "Good match".

"BEATRICE, eight! REBBIE, three!" My coach called out.

I knew that he, my coach, was watching.

My twin brother, Thomas, or Tommy, as I would call him, walked down from the bleachers and patted me on the back.

"Nice job!" Tommy said to me.

"Thanks, Tommy." I replied.

Now that I'm done with my tennis match, I can go home, take a shower, and draw some pictures. But before I do that, I had to check myself out of the court with my coach.

"I already checked you out, Beatrice. Excellent job on the serves and the volleys. I'll see you at our next practice in two weeks." Coach said.

"Thanks, Coach. I'll see you in a couple of weeks." I replied without trying to stutter.

Then, Tommy and I left the courts and walked home, which wasn't too far away from the courts.

"You did really well, Beatrice. Your volleys have really improved and your serves are really consistent." Tommy said to me.

"And my speaking skills?" I asked.

"Improving very, very slowly. I'm sorry, Beatrice. I had to be honest."

"It's okay, Tommy. I understand."

If you're wondering why I mentioned about my speaking skills, giving a half smile to Rebbie, and trying not to stutter while talking to my coach, it is because I have a selective mutism. It's when a person who is usually capable of speech but they're unable to speak to certain people or in a given situation. In my case, however, I can talk freely whenever I'm with my family at home (sometimes) but in public places, I don't talk to anyone. The main cause of my mutism is a couple of shocking events that took my speech away. My mutism will probably be permanent unless some miracle can make me talk again.

Tommy is the complete opposite of me, not by the obvious appearance, but he doesn't have selective mutism and he can talk…a lot. He even claims that he can speak the language of "Silent Sister" and does most of the talking for me when we're out somewhere. In return for talking for me, I'll do most of the action for Tommy.

"So," Tommy said. "What are you planning to do once we get home?"

"Probably settle down in the tree in our backyard, take a shower and draw." I replied.

"That's really all you ever do after a tennis match."

"What can I say, literally, Tommy? I don't have any other choice."

"You forgot TV. You can always watch TV after a game, you know."

"Mom won't allow me to watch TV because I was caught watching _Who Framed Roger Rabbit. _I was admiring the title of the movie and BOOM…that's when Mom walked in and grounded me for two hours and won't allow me to watch any movie until I give her the rating and the title. Also, she's one of those reasons why I have a hard time talking to people."

I wasn't sure if that last sentence was a good excuse but I really had to say what I've been keeping in my mind.

"I keep forgetting why Mom won't allow us to watch _Who Framed Roger Rabbit_. Why does she not allow us to watch that?" Tommy asked.

"It was because she went out on a date with Dad, as teenagers, and after dinner, they went out to the movies to see _Who Framed Roger Rabbit._ After watching that movie, Mom started to have nightmares about…mmm…some guy with red eyes and how he killed a shoe by dipping it in acid." I explained.

"'Kill a shoe'?" Tommy asked.

"I don't think shoes have lives and I don't see how a crazy guy can 'kill' a shoe because it's inanimate." I said.

Yeah, I know. This is a pretty interesting but crazy conversation. That's the thing with me and Tommy. We have pretty weird conversations most of the time.

"But if Mom hated the movie so much, then why did Dad give it to her for Christmas one year?" Tommy asked.

"Maybe he wanted her to conquer her fear. 'If your mother conquered her fear, then she'll allow you to watch it,' Dad said to me one time." I replied.

Our conversation ended there.

When Tommy and I opened the doors to our house, just a simple white-bricked two floor house, I began to smell lasagna. That meant Dad was home, which is usually a…pretty rare thing because he's always out doing some activity that's like being a part of a mafia, except he doesn't go around and kill people.

"Hey, how are you guys doing?" Dad asked.

"We've been all right. We just came back from a tennis tournament." Tommy said for both of us.

"Who won?"

"Beatrice did."

I nodded my head in agreement.

"How are you feeling today, Beatrice?" Dad asked me.

"F-fine, I guess. I mean, it's been a while since I've seen you, Dad." I replied. "How's work?"

"Really busy."

That's what he always says.

Then, the oven beeps, indicating that the lasagna was ready. The smell made my mouth water. Mom walks in kitchen just as soon as I get my slice of lasagna and sat down at the table.

"How was your tennis tournament, Beatrice?" Mom asked.

"I played well but I lost two matches and won one match." I replied.

I hoped that I answered Mom's question correctly. If I didn't answer quickly, then Mom will begin to act like some dictator from television. She's been controlling my life for me since I attempted to watch _Who Framed Roger Rabbit. _Mom will go nuts and be demanding most of the time but when she tries to settle down; she still continues to show her bad and controlling side.

"You can do better than that. You could've won all three of those matches if you listened to your coach." Mom said.

Yeah, Mom doesn't support me at all. No sympathy, no 'if, at first, you don't succeed, try, try again', or anything.

I would've said, "_I'm going to let that slide, Mom. Right now, I'm trying to make a good impression with Dad eating with us and you're not making this any good. Can't you think before you speak for a change_?" But I couldn't. I was really worked up to say anything.

And when Mom doesn't support me or give me any good advice, that's when I act like the mother…in my mind. I can't speak out when she's being so rude to me.

"Sweetheart." Dad said to Mom. "Please be nice to Beatrice. She isn't always perfect but she tries."

_Thank you, Dad._ I thought.

I tried to ignore Mom's comment but stabbing my fork into my lasagna. Tommy noticed my behavior. Ignoring turned to the point of recalling the bad things that Mom said previously and then, break down into tears when I set my fork down.

"May I be excused to my room?" I asked.

Dad looked at me funny.

Then, without anyone responding, I pushed myself out of my chair and walked to my room.

….

**Tommy**:

After I saw Beatrice walk to her room, I glared at Mom.

"You and I…" I said. "…are going to have a little discussion after dinner."

"Whatever." Mom mumbled with a mouth full of lasagna.

Dinner ended quickly after Mom's mumbling. When Dad was done, he walked to Beatrice's room and I began to talk to Mom. Since I've been Beatrice's voice for a really long, I'll be sticking up for her with her missing talk-like-a-mother/voice-of-reason kind of voice.

"Why do you have to act like that, Mom?" I asked. "Dad's visits are really special to Beatrice. Since he works as a police officer, a writer, and a detective, he doesn't always spend much time with us. You don't know how hard Beatrice tries to make a good impression when Dad's around."

"Beatrice has just been a pain in the neck since she watched that wretched movie. She needs to be disciplined!" Mom said.

"She's been disciplined hard enough at school! Beatrice makes good grades, goes to church every Sunday, does her homework, and even obeys many people. She even tried to impress you and when she does, you lack any appreciation. I don't know why you act like this to Beatrice but this is has got to STOP!" I said.

At first, Mom gave me her leery look that she usually gives me when we're having a conversation, but she didn't say anything after leaving the table.

I feel really terrible for my sister. Beatrice can't even talk when she really wanted to and she's tried so many times but fails almost every time. Let me explain it this way. Usually, Beatrice's speaking limit is three sentences and a small conversation but the only times that Beatrice can say more than any of those two is when she's really angry or, very, very, very, very rarely, when she has the confidence to speak again.

But anyway, back to the story.

I walked to Beatrice's room and before I walked in, I had to knock the door.

"Come in." Dad called.

When I walked in the room, Beatrice's eyes were red from crying and Dad had a familiar look on his face that shows me that he's concerned.

"Tommy, I'm glad that you spend time helping Beatrice but you do realize that you won't be Beatrice's voice forever." Dad said.

"Yes, sir." I replied.

"I'm sorry that your mother acts like that but it's very hard for me to control because I'm gone most of the time."

Beatrice and I nodded our heads.

"You're both going to be seventeen in three days and I want you to try to change your habits both before and after you turn sixteen. Just try." Dad said.

"What if I can't speak up when I want to?" Beatrice asked.

"You will, Beatrice. It doesn't take a snap from the fingers to make a miracle happen. You often have to find a miracle or a situation that'll make you speak out. It doesn't happen overnight but it does take time."

"We'll keep that in mind." I said. "I'll try my very best to speak out."

Tommy nodded.

"I have to go now. I'll probably come back for your birthday but it all depends on the boss." Dad said.

"Thanks for coming to visit us, Dad. It's been a pleasure." I said.

When Dad left the room, I turned to Beatrice. I was going to have a short conversation with her.

"You alright?" I asked.

"I guess so. I thought I had the courage to speak up and make Mom hush up and think for a change…but my courage faded when I was about to say 'You know what, Mom? I just had it with you! I'm trying to make a good impression but you're making me look stupid.' I really want to find my miracle to speak out again." Beatrice replied.

"Remember what Dad said?"

"Yeah."

"C'mon, Beatrice. You just got back from a tennis tournament. Why don't you relax for a little bit and think about what Dad said?"

After I said that, Beatrice stared out into space for a second and then, she took one of her sketchbooks off her book shelf and began to draw.

It seemed that Beatrice took my suggestion really well. I could tell by the way she stares out and then, she occupies herself with something.

I really like the way Beatrice draws. Most of the time, she will draw something that she saw on TV but some other times, Beatrice will try to create her own cartoons. When Beatrice draws, in my opinion, time seems to fly by fast.

As soon as Beatrice stops drawing a picture of…John Lennon, I think, an hour has already passed.

"Is that John Lennon?" I asked.

"Yep." Beatrice replied.

"I really got to hand it to you, Beatrice. You're really good at drawing these cartoons and people. Maybe you should be an artist."

"As long as I get to write books, too, I'll draw the characters."

Oh my gosh! My sister wants to be a writer! I didn't know that!

"What kind of books do you want to write?" I asked.

"I would most likely write books with adventure, comedy, and drama." Beatrice replied.

"What about romance?"

"Nah, that's kind of mushy."

That's another thing that I like about Beatrice being my sister. She isn't into the romance. _Romeo and Juliet _is an exception but others, like _Gone With The Wind_, not so much.

"I do, however, whenever I'm upset or have the time, write stories during my free time. Most of them are stories that inspired me from life and aren't even closed to being finished." Beatrice told me.

"Yeah, I noticed." I said.

"Whenever I'm writing or drawing in my room, Tommy, I feel free."

"I get the same feeling."

Then, someone knocked on the door.

"Come in!" I called.

Mom walks in and I can tell that things are going to be bad. I know that Beatrice needs to have me around for support and I decided to stick around.

"Thomas J. Birchwood, I want you out of the room." Mom snapped.

I looked at Beatrice. She gives me a look that looks like she's having a severe case of stage fright.

"Don't worry, Beatrice. I'll stick around 'later.'" I said and winked.

To Beatrice, my wink means that I'll be standing outside of her room and I'll come to the rescue if she's in really big trouble.

…..

**Beatrice**:

I was devastated when I saw Tommy walk out of my room but I hope that his signature wink won't let me down.

"Beatrice Elaine Birchwood, I don't understand why you don't understand what I'm saying when I'm giving you advice." Mom said to me.

"I do understand what you're saying but I don't understand why you act so mean to me." I replied.

That really set Mom off. I hate it when she acts like a fast-acting time bomb.

"Why did you fail to win all of those tennis games from this evening's tennis tournament? Did you fail to listen to your coach?" Mom snapped at me.

_NO! _I thought. _It's one of those times when I can't always play perfectly! I can't always be perfect._

"Well? Did you?" Mom asked again.

I didn't answer.

"I can't believe it! I am your mother and you don't show any respect to me at all and pay more attention to your daddy!" Mom shouted.

_Mom, I swear, if you talk to me like that again, I'm going to show you what it's like to be yelled at!_ I thought.

"You know what, Beatrice? I am going to tell you this: If you don't learn to give me the answers that you've locked up in your head by your birthday, then I won't let you go anywhere with anyone but ME!" Mom exclaimed.

_Are you serious, Mom?! You don't know what kind of pain that I had to go through for a while! You don't know anything about what happened to Kaitlin three years ago and how much it affected me!_ I shouted in my head.

When I saw Mom's face turn red, she said this to me in a low voice,

"I want you to get ready for bed right now and that bedroom door of yours better be closed after an hour and a half."

Then, Mom left the room and Tommy walked in.

"How did you do?" Tommy asked.

"I couldn't talk to her anymore! I only said one sentence and…after that, I couldn't say anything else. I'll probably never find that miracle that Dad was talking about earlier." I said.

"You will but just…not today, but someday."

After that sentence, I had to Tommy that I had get ready for my shower. I told him that he should meet me in my room around eleven-fifty and we'll talk about some things.

While taking a shower, I cried silently. I really want to tell Mom about how I really feel but I still didn't have the courage. But pain turned to suspicion when I had the feeling that Mom was listening to me on the other side of the bathroom door. I quickly finished my shower…with a little shampoo in my hair but I didn't really care.

Then, a few minutes later, after brushing my teeth and my hair, I walked to my room and closed my door. Since I was planning to stay up late with Tommy, I took out this roll of pitch black fabric and covered my door with it to make it look like my bedroom lights are off.

Right now, it was ten-thirty. Tommy will come to my room in thirty minutes. He'll let me know that it's him by knocking on the door twice.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Tommy:

After meeting Beatrice in her room, we discussed some things over. Because we're trying to have a good summer (it's mid-week of July), Beatrice and I figured that Mom will be out most of the time and because we're old enough to drive, we can find some things to do before Mom comes back around seven o'clock in the evening.

The plan was simply this after the meeting:

When Mom leaves our house around eight-thirty, Beatrice and I are free to go. As long as we come back home before seven, Beatrice and I will be all right. And hopefully, when Beatrice and I do our thing, Beatrice will find something that'll make her speak again.

….

Morning came by fast.

When I woke up and fixed myself a bowl of Cream of Wheat, I noticed that something was really wrong when I saw Beatrice walk in the kitchen with a disturbed look on her face.

"Beatrice, did you get any sleep last night?" I asked.

"Kind of. I had a really bad dream about something." She replied.

"What happened?"

"You and I were in some building and I saw that red-eyed man look at me with an evil grin and he had a buzz-saw as a substitute for one of his hands. He tried to kill me and the last thing that I heard was the red-eyed man screaming in agony."

"Scary."

"I'll try not to let that nightmare bother me but I have a feeling that it's going to linger in my mind for the rest of the day."

Beatrice grabbed herself a granola bar and a green apple for her breakfast. I wonder why she doesn't grab herself a bowl of cereal instead.

"I'm planning on having a little stroll downtown a little after noon. Just to look around, that's all." Beatrice said.

…

When it was five after noon, Beatrice had her truck ready to go and she had her wallet in her pocket. I packed us a couple of granola bars in case if any of us gets hungry.

"Ready?" Beatrice asked.

"Ready." I replied.

Beatrice starts her truck and we were off.

As Beatrice passed a couple of Peterbilts and several rows of corn, I noticed a building that wasn't familiar on our Houston, Texas road.

"Beatrice, do you know where you're going?" I asked.

"I don't know where I am." Beatrice said. "I said that I was driving us to the downtown Houston area but I'm seeing buildings that aren't familiar to the area."

"You notice that, too?"

"Yeah, and I'm seeing people wearing clothes that aren't even close to being modern. They all look like they stole every bit of clothing from our grandmother's costume closet."

Now that Beatrice said it, I can't make heads or tails of our current destination. From what I'm making out is that everyone is wearing something that's really old fashioned and the cars look really old. There are also a couple of trolley buses roaming around the streets. What really surprised both me and Beatrice was that a cartoon character that looked like Bugs Bunny was walking up a sidewalk, as if nothing is going wrong.

I told Beatrice to find a parking spot and we'll maybe ask for directions or something.

Beatrice:

Finding a parking spot wasn't really easy. After thinking that searching would take no less than five minutes, I found a parking spot at a place called "Maroon Cartoons" and tried not to hit any passing trolley buses while I parallel-parked.

Tommy and I got out of my truck with our phones in our pockets and saw not only Bugs Bunny but several other cartoon characters like Br'er Bear and the Dancing Broomsticks from _Fantasia._

"Tommy," I whispered. "Remember when we tried to bring Mom's broomstick to life so that it can do our chores and got busted after many attempts?"

Tommy laughed.

Then, I saw a man, who was slightly corpulent, in a trench coat and fedora walk through the crowd of cartoon characters.

"Let's ask that man who's walking inside the building. He'll probably tell us." I said to Tommy.

When Tommy called out to the man, he, the man, was already walking in the building. Tommy and I ran, while excusing ourselves through the passing crowd of cartoon characters, to the door that the man entered.

….

"HEY, YOU TWO!" A grumpy man shouted to us while we ran.

"Us?" Tommy asked.

"Settle down back there! We're trying to work on our twenty third take of our latest cartoon!"

Although Tommy and I didn't know what was really going, we immediately zipped our lips.

"ACTION!" The man, possibly the director, shouted.

Then, opening cartoon music began to play and then ceases after fifteen seconds.

A really bright light turns on and Tommy and I watch a cartoon baby, only wearing a diaper and a pink bow, who begins making babbling noises while sitting in his…or her…play pen.

"Mommy's going to the beauty parlor, darling." A women's voice said to the baby and rubbed his/her head. "But I'm leaving you with your favorite friend, Roger."

Then, I peeked over and I saw a…white cartoon rabbit with red overalls, a blue bowtie with yellow polka dots, orange-red tuft of hair ("Hair" and "Hare", get it?), blue eyes, and a buck tooth. Roger? As in, ROGER RABBIT?! O…M…GOSH!

"He's going to take very, very good care of you." The woman's voice continued. "Because if he doesn't," The woman presses her finger on Roger's pink nose. "HE'S GOING BACK TO THE SCIENCE LAB!"

Aw, man! She can't do that to a rabbit!

"P-b-b-b-b-please don't worry." Roger said with a goofy Southern accent with a slight lisp. "Yes, ma'am! Ay-ay, sir! Okey dokey!" Roger does some random salutes while the women…awkwardly begins to walk off the set. "Why, I'LL take care of him like he was own brother…or my own SISTER!" Roger accidently hits his face on the door. I giggled a little bit. "Ow! Or my brother's sister…or my second cousin…"

When Roger absentmindedly begins to counts the number of times and relatives, the baby babbles something about cookies, SQUEEZES through the gap of the play pen and with his/her milk bottle, he/she flies and gently lands on a checkerboard kitchen floor.

"Cookie…" The baby said while looking at a jar of cookies…which is sitting at the top of a refrigerator.

I look at Roger. He has twisted himself up and finally finishes with his counting. After unwinding himself, Roger hears a banging noise and spots the baby…CLIMBING ON KITCHEN DRAWERS AND…ON TO THE COUNTER.

Roger flips out and screams. I don't blame him because the baby barely misses an open stove flame…make that two open stove flames that were switched on by the his/her feet.

"I'LL SAVE YOU…BABYYYYYYYY!" Roger cries out and takes off into the kitchen.

While the baby continues on his/her trek for the cookie jar, he/she knocks a rolling pin off the counter and rolls away.

"DON'T BURN YOURSELF, BABY HERMAN!" Roger exclaimed and slips on the rolling pin.

While trying to get…Baby Herman off the shelf, Roger constantly slips on the rolling pin in circles and misses every time. Baby Herman knocks down an aluminum tea kettle and it covers Roger's face after getting pushed off.

"WHO TURNED OUT THE LIGHTS? BOY, IT'S DARK IN HERE!" Roger said.

As Roger continues to slip, Baby Herman's foot slips and flips open an oven lid. Roger ROLLS INTO THE OVEN, OH GOSH, the lid closes on him, and Baby Herman's foot slips on the knob and it spins to **VOLCANO HEAT. **

"This is kind of like a _Tom and Jerry _cartoon." I whispered to Tommy.

"Yeah." He whispered back.

I focus back on Baby Herman. He manages to get both of his hands on separate dishes that are found floating in the sink. I hear Roger's faint screams and see smoke slithering out of the oven. Can they seriously do that to a cartoon rabbit?

"Cookie…" He said.

Then, Baby Herman gets mesmerized by a swinging clock pendulum and he reaches out to grab it but instead, his hand lands on the handle that makes the water come of the faucet, causing it to over flood.

The oven DINGS and says **WELL DONE.**

Roger immediately, with the kettle still on his head, bursts out of the oven and runs around the kitchen with his tail on fire, leaving behind a long trail of smoke. When I look back on Baby Herman, he's already climbing on a big stack of POISON and Roger slips on a bar of soap, flies up into the air, the soap ricochets and hits Baby Herman, who grabs the swinging clock pendulum.

I can't believe that someone is letting a baby crawl on a counter and have a rabbit get most of the injuries. I wonder if that counts as animal cruelty.

Then, Roger falls back down and slips on the bar of soap. He slides across the floor and gets his fingers…STUCK IN PLUG SOCKETS. After a brief moment of getting electrically shocked, Roger bangs his head on the wall and…

I couldn't watch anymore because of the violence. So I closed my eyes and heard every bang, Baby Herman cooing, Roger screaming, and…a vacuum humming.

I opened my eyes and I saw that Roger, without the tea kettle on his head, was getting inflated like a balloon and Baby Herman finally on top of the refrigerator with a giant cookie in his hand. When Roger looks like he can't take in any more air from the vacuum, he releases himself and flies around the kitchen, getting rid of the air that was inflated in him. Then, Roger crashes into a refrigerator and struggles to get out from underneath it…with Baby Herman still on top.

When I saw Baby Herman fall, I gasped silently but I was immediately relieved when he landed softly on Roger with a small SQUEAK. While Baby Herman admires his cookie, Roger lifts the fridge off of him and he smiles and grabs Baby Herman with joy. Then, Roger looks up and gives us a look of shock before the fridge lands on his head.

"CUT! CUT, CUT, CUT, CUT, CUT, CUT!" The director shouts at Roger with birds flying around his head.

"WHAT THE beep! WAS WRONG WITH THAT TAKE?!" Baby Herman shouts, not with a child's voice but with a man's. Tommy and I look at him with shock.

"You were better than perfect, Baby Herman. It's Roger…who keeps BLOWING HIS LINES! Roger, the script calls for stars, not birds! You're killing me!" The director shouts and slams the script on the floor.

I look at Tommy with shock and confusion.

"I don't know how these people sleep at night. It must be hard for Roger because of how the director claims that he's blowing his lines." I said to Tommy in a stage whisper.

"HOW MANY TIMES DO WE HAVE TO DO THIS beep! SCENE?! Raoul, I'll be in my trailer…TAKING A NAP!"

Baby Herman storms off the set and anger.

"And you two!" Baby Herman shouts and points at me and Tommy.

"Us?" Tommy asked.

"Yes, I would like to talk to you two in my trailer!"

Tommy and I reluctantly follow Baby Herman. Well, Tommy was ahead of me a little bit and I was getting distracted by Roger's begging and the man that Tommy and I saw outside of the studio.

"Beatrice!" Tommy called.

"Oh, sorry!" I replied and ran to the trailer.

…

Tommy:

One thing that caught me off guard was Baby Herman being a man stuck in a baby's body. He is really the most unusual cartoon character that I've seen in my life. What's even more disturbing was that he smokes a really big cigar that's considered, to me, really bad and unsafe. And his trailer is kind of messy and smells like his burning cigar.

"Is there something that you would like to talk about, um…Mr. Herman?" I asked.

"You must be the investigators that I called for! I want you to investigate Roger!" Baby Herman exclaimed.

Beatrice gives me a confused glance, as if to say: "What does he mean by 'investigators'?"

"Uh, sir, not to sound rude or anything but, do we look like investigators to you?" I asked.

Baby Herman inhales a big round of his cigar and blows out a huge puff of smoke. I really wished that he should be careful where he's blowing his smoke because it's making my eyes water.

"If you're not the investigators that I called for, then who are you?" Baby Herman asked, impatiently. "And where on Earth are you from?"

"Well, my sister and I were just driving around town and we came across here. We're not familiar with this town and we need some directions. What is this place?" I asked.

"Los Angeles, California…"

BEATRICE AND I ARE L.A.?!

"…and if you two are too confused of the time, this is the year 1947." Baby Herman finished.

1947?!

"There is no way that I drove from Houston, Texas to Los Angeles! If I did, then it would take me hours…or maybe a day." Beatrice said.

I was really surprised with her two sentence statement in a cartoon baby's trailer.

"So you two from Texas? Well, this is much better than investigators that I called for. At least, I would have called Valiant but still…" Baby Herman said and mumbled the last part. "I want you two to find out why Roger keeps messing up! It's very unnatural for him to mess up more than three times on the set and I think that it's probably because of Jessica."

"Jessica?" I asked.

"His wife. There have been some rumors that she's having an affair with another man and I don't know if those rumors are true."

"Do you just want me and my sister to find Roger's wife and simply ask her if she's having an affair with somebody?"

Baby Herman inhales another big round and exhales a basketball-sized cloud of smoke.

"No, dumbo. I want you and your sister to gather some evidence and bring it back to me. If the evidence of the rumors is proven true, then Roger should move on with his life. If isn't true, then somebody's got to do something to solve and stop the spreading of the rumors." Baby Herman explained.

"Do you want us to get a picture of Jessica and then bring it back to you so you can your answer?" Beatrice finally asked, surprising me.

"Oh, you do talk. And yes, a picture would do nicely but…"

Baby Herman pauses and gives himself another big round of smoke.

"…you could also observe Jessica from a distance and report back to me tomorrow morning." Baby Herman continued.

"No catch?" I asked.

"I'll pay you and your sister ten bucks each for taking this job."

"But there's one problem, Baby Herman."

"What, you getting cold feet?"

"No. Since my sister and I are just teenagers, we're going to need a professional to help us with the job. I mean, my sister and I are amateurs."

Baby Herman coughs a little bit and clears his throat.

"You know, before I 'called' you two in, I tried calling this guy, who was once a private detective for Toons, like me and Roger, but he didn't want to have anything to do with me or other Toons." Baby Herman said.

"Why does he hate Toons like you and Roger?" I asked.

"I don't know but if you persuade him to help you out with the job, then maybe he'll help."

"Um, do you mind if I talk to my sister for a minute?"

"Go ahead."

When Beatrice and I walked out of the trailer, we began to talk things over.

"What do you think, Beatrice? Should we do the job?" I asked.

"Are you nuts?! We don't know where this Jessica Rabbit is and the job may take, like, several days! Mom could get really mad at us if she finds out that we're gone!" Beatrice exclaimed without raising her voice. "You know how mad Mom can get when we're not home on time."

I pause and started to think something over. Then, I looked at Beatrice.

"I know that it's not right to lie to Mom but I'm going to call her and say that we'll be spending a couple of days with our friends." I said.

"So we're making a cover story?" Beatrice asked.

"Yes. Mom will not worry or raise a fit if she believes our cover story."

Beatrice thinks over the plan and then, with a reluctant look on her face, she says,

"Just one lie and after that, no more. You know how I feel about lying."

Then, Beatrice and I walk back into the trailer, where Baby Herman gives us an impatient look with his big cigar in his mouth.

"All right, Baby Herman. We'll do the job for you." I said.

"Oh, goody!" Baby Herman exclaimed and blew out a cloud of smoke. "For a minute there, I thought that you were going to back out on the job."

"But before we continue the job, we would like to know the name of the private detective, where he lives, and name us any certain places where he hangs out most of the time."

Baby Herman inhales and exhales another unhealthy cloud of smoke and says,

"The name of the private detective goes by the name…"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Beatrice:

"So we have to walk to a bar called 'Terminal Station' or something like that and find Eddie Valiant, a private detective." I said, sitting on the front seat of my car.

"That's right." Tommy said.

"And when Baby told us what Eddie looked like, I immediately knew that it was the man that walked into the studio."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I knew who Baby was talking about just as soon as he mentioned about a trench coat."

When Tommy and I agreed to do the jobs, I couldn't believe that we had to investigate the strange behavior of a funny 'Toon' rabbit and even snoop on his wife.

"What would happen if we tried to walk into a bar and ask for Eddie?" Tommy asked.

"We would get in really big trouble…I don't know." I replied.

"But we can't get the job done with nothing."

I sighed.

"I will take this risk of walking into that bar, even though I'm not the right age." I said. "But I'm not going to do this without you, you know."

"So you have a plan?" Tommy asked.

"Yeah. The plan is this: We simply ask the bartender about Eddie and tell them that we have business with him."

"Some plan." Was all Tommy said.

"Ready?"

"Ready when you are."

I turned on my car and carefully got out of my parking space.

"Baby Herman specifically said that we just make a right and go straight until we see the Terminal Station." Tommy reminded me.

"Got it." I replied. "Keep an eye on the right side and I'll keep an eye on the left for the Terminal Station."

"BEATRICE, WATCH OUT!" Tommy yelled out suddenly.

I slammed on the brakes after I saw a trolley bus stop.

"Sorry! That was really stupid of me!" I said.

That's where I found the Terminal Station.

"Found our Terminal Station." I said to Tommy.

I parallel-parked again and this time, Tommy and I were more careful when we crossed the street. We walked up this staircase after entering the Terminal Station. Without thinking, all of the sudden, I stopped on one of the last steps.

"What's the matter?" Tommy whispered.

"I'm nervous." I whispered back.

"Don't be nervous. I'll do the talking."

Then, Tommy and I finished walking up the stairs after I gathered up a little courage.

The inside of the Terminal Station Bar wasn't really clean. It was really depressing and seeing a person passing out at their table really gave me the heebie-jeebies. I keep smelling smoke and peanut shells, I believe, were scattered on the floor. The boiled eggs gave off a really nasty scent.

A woman who was working behind the counter noticed me and Tommy, along with the guy in the trench coat, who looked really familiar.

"What are you kids doing here? Aren't you a little young to be hanging out in a place like this?" The woman said.

"We know that we're young, ma'am." Tommy said. "But we're looking someone who we would like to discuss some business. We're looking for someone who goes by the name 'Eddie Valiant'."

Then, the familiar man in the trench coat looked and said,

"That'll be me and if you're asking me to solve a case, I can't help you right now. I'm already having business with R.K. Maroon."

Tommy looked like he just ran out of words but he immediately came up with something to say just as soon as Eddie was about to take a sip of a drink from a small glass.

"This particular case wouldn't have anything to do with Roger Rabbit…would it?" Tommy asked.

Eddie either almost did a spit take or choked on his drink when Tommy asked him about the case.

"How did you know?" Eddie demanded.

"Well, sir. We were just walking around the studio and we saw Roger and—what's his name?—Baby Herman try out their cartoon and as soon as they stopped trying out, Baby Herman called me and my sister, Beatrice, in to his trailer and asked us to find out why Roger keeps blowing his lines. Then, he, Baby Herman, mentioned you and since Beatrice and I are just teenagers, we thought that we could use some of your help because you're more experienced with this kind of investigation." Tommy explained.

"Did you say 'Baby Herman'?"

I nodded my head while Tommy said,

"Yes, sir."

"Didn't he ask for evidence while he was giving you instructions?" Eddie asked again.

I nodded my head.

"Baby Herman said that Beatrice and I could either take a picture of Jessica or simply take notes and report to him first thing tomorrow morning." Tommy said. "But the problem is that Beatrice and I don't have a camera with us."

"I think Delores here still has her old camera that we used on our trip to Catalina." Eddie said and then, he turned to Delores, I believe. "Is there enough film left?"

"Should be." Delores said and then, she turned around, slipped in her hand in a gap in between the wall and a cash register, and grabs a really old camera. She hands it to Eddie.

"If your sister is named 'Beatrice', then what is your name?" Eddie asked.

"My real name is Thomas but everybody else who knows me calls me 'Tommy'." Tommy replied.

"And before I ask you more questions about yourself and when we work on this case, I have to hand Delores this check. Wait outside for a second and I'll be out."

Tommy and I walked away and nearly bumped in to a man who wore really dirty clothes, had a dirty face, and smells really bad. Since the lights were dim inside the bar, it was really bright outside. It took me and Tommy a few seconds to get adjusted to the sun.

"Did you call Mom yet?" I asked.

"I tried texting to her but the signal here is really bad. I mean, we're in 1947 but there's barely any service here. I'm pretty sure that the text will make it to Mom's phone, regardless if there was hardly any signal." Tommy replied.

Then, Eddie stormed out of the bar and didn't look very happy. I saw some small pieces of eggs shell from his palm. I probably don't want to know.

"We're going straight ahead. My office is in that building." Eddie said.

Tommy and I walked along with Eddie. While walking, I began to wonder. I wondered how I drove from Houston, Texas in the year 2012 to Los Angeles in the late 1940s. There's absolutely no way that I would make it to L.A. in less than an hour. Besides, it's impossible! But if I did plan to drive from Houston to L.A., then I would pack some clothes and a couple of snacks to help me survive a long trip. But that's not really important. Forget directions and wondering. I'm going back to the story.

After a flight of stairs, along with Eddie, Tommy and I arrived at an office with "VALIANT & VALIANT" on the door. When the three of us walked in, I was slightly amazed with the inside of the office. It was kind of like a room in a summer condo and it was a little messy. I saw two desks that were connected to other, one was slightly polished and covered with papers and two bottles of strong whiskey and the other desk was really organized but extremely dusty. There was an unfinished scrapbook and a few pictures of Eddie and some other guy who I can't really identify.

"Now if you're going to work with me, I have to lay down some rules for you." Eddie said. "First, NEVER EVER sit on this desk (He means the dusty organized desk). Second, don't let anybody in without my permission and third of all, you must never bother me while I'm working on the cases. Do you understand?"

Tommy and I nodded our heads.

"Yes, sir." Tommy said also.

"Okay. Before I tell you my plan for this evening, I want to know you more. Please tell me your names and where you're from." Eddie said.

…

Tommy:

Despite of telling Eddie my name in the bar, I knew that I had to say it again so that he'll remember.

"My name is Thomas but my sister, Beatrice, and my friends call me 'Tommy'." I said. "Beatrice and I are from Houston, Texas and we're fixing to turn seventeen in a couple of days."

"Does Beatrice usually say her name when she's introducing herself?" Eddie asked.

"She used to."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Beatrice doesn't usually talk in public."

"But does she talk at all?" Eddie asked again.

"Oh, yes but she rarely talks when she's in a public town."

"All right."

"Beatrice is really shy but once she begins to know you, she will talk but not too much."

"Okay."

I knew that this conversation should be changed so I had to ask,

"All right, Mr. Valiant, what was it that you wanted to discuss?"

It took Eddie a second to figure out what I was talking about and then, he caught on.

"When I talked with R.K. Maroon, he wanted me to go to this club, known as 'The Ink and Paint Club', and look out for Roger's wife, Jessica. If I see her, then I should take some pictures of her and bring 'em back to Maroon. Baby Herman kind of wants you two to do the job kind of the same." Eddie explained. "The Ink and Paint Club is a club where people, like you and me, can watch Toons perform. Toons can't watch sit down in the audience and watch the performers but they also work there, too. What we're going to do is that we'll go to the Ink and Paint Club when it's pretty late tonight and watch Jessica perform. Then, if possible, we'll go to her dressing room and take the pictures. How does that sound?"

Beatrice gave me a look that tells me, "This sounds wrong to snoop and stick our noses in other people's business." I don't blame her but we can't tell Baby Herman that we have no evidence if he wants to know about the rumors. I'm not sure if "quote-unquote" would be useful for 'rumors.'

"The plan sounds good." I said.

Beatrice, nervously, nods her head in agreement.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Tommy:

When it got pretty late at night, Eddie, Beatrice, and I walked down a couple of blocks and arrived in an abandoned alley.

"Well," Eddie said. "This is the Ink and Paint Club."

Beatrice and I looked at each other in confusion while Eddie knocked on the door.

Then, a hatch slides open and toon blood-shot eye shows up.

"Got the password?" A deep, gruff voice asked Eddie.

"Walt sent me." Eddie immediately replied.

The hatch closes and the door opens but I didn't see anybody inside until I looked to my left and I saw a Toon gorilla in a tuxedo. He surprised both me and Beatrice.

"Nice 'monkey' suit." Eddie complimented.

"Wise beep!" The gorilla said.

Beatrice and I caught up with Eddie.

"What was that all about?" I asked when we were at a perfect distance away from the gorilla.

"Don't mind him. Bongo can be a hot head at times. I usually just ignore him." Eddie replied.

Then, Beatrice tapped on my shoulder.

"Do you hear that?" She whispered.

"Hear what?" I asked.

"I thought I heard some piano music playing. Listen carefully."

While following Eddie, I try to make out the piano that Beatrice was talking about. As Eddie was getting closer and closer to a door in front of him, the piano music was getting louder and louder.

"Yep, I hear the music." I said to Beatrice.

"You two ready to go in?" Eddie asked, kind of impatiently.

"Yes, we are." I replied.

Then, Eddie opened the door.

Not only one piano was played by Donald Duck but Daffy Duck was also playing his own piano on a clean stage with a paper background. Both ducks were playing a fast tune simultaneously. But the inside of the club was beautiful. Toon penguins from _Mary Poppins _served as waiters, a Toon octopus that I've never seen before serves as a wine-tender (I don't know the name of the person who serves wine to other people), and many people in audience were really spiffy.

Then all of the sudden, Daffy purposely plays the piano off-key for a brief second.

"HEY! HEY! CUT IT OUT!" Donald angrily exclaimed.

"Doeth anybody underthand what thith duck ith thaying?" Daffy exclaimed to the audience.

Eddie slowly begins to walk towards an empty table and Beatrice and I followed him while watching Daffy and Donald.

"I've worked with a lot of withe crackerth," Daffy shouted to Donald over the music they're playing. "BUT YOU ARE DETH-PICABLE!"

"Doggone stubborn little…" Donald mumbled and then abruptly exclaims something that I didn't catch.

"THITH ITH THE LATH TIME I WORK WITH THOMEONE WITH A…THPEECH IMPENDIMENT!"

"OH YEAH?!" Donald exclaimed.

Then, Donald reaches behind him, grabs Daffy, slams him inside his piano, the lid closes on Daffy, leaving his beak out. That action really surprised and scared me.

"THITH MEANTH WAR…" Daffy said.

Eddie, Beatrice, and I grab a table next to an elderly bald man with really weird looking clothes. I noticed that he grabbed a fountain pen and purposely squirts black ink on Eddie's shirt. Beatrice and I scooted away from the man after he started to laugh a crazy laugh.

"Do you think that's FUNNY?!" Eddie exclaimed.

"It's a panic!" The old man laughed.

"You wouldn't think it's funny if I stuck that pen up your nose!"

Eddie angrily grabs the old man by collar but the man quickly reassures Eddie that the ink on the shirt is actually disappearing ink.

Just as the man was going to introduce himself, Eddie interrupts him by saying,

"I know who you are. Marvin Acme, the guy who owns Toon Town, the gag king."

"If it's Acme," Acme says, "it's a gasser."

Acme grabs Eddie's hand, says "Put it there, pal," and presses his hand on his own hand like their doing a handshake but Eddie jumps after hearing a buzz. Then, Acme reveals that he has a hand buzzer on the middle of his palm.

"The hand buzzer! Still our biggest seller!" Acme laughed.

Eddie sat down in his chair with irritation.

"Is that Acme dude cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs or what?" Beatrice mumbled.

A penguin waiter comes up to Eddie and without looking at the menu, Eddie says, "Scotch on the rocks." The penguin waiter leaves.

"And I mean ICE!" Eddie shouts.

Beatrice and I watch Donald and Daffy in surprise. Whenever one Toon duck tries to pull off a couple tricks on the piano, the other would throw him off and try to entertain the audience with different tricks.

"THIS IS HOT STUFF!" Donald exclaims.

Then, Daffy blasts out of the black piano and punches Donald, who flies into the white piano. Daffy begins to play a very fast tune with a boxing glove on one of his hands and throws certain inanimate objects while playing.

When Daffy slows down and stops playing for a second, Donald prepares and aims a cannon at Daffy and his piano. The blast from the cannon was so sudden that Daffy got stuck into the piano, Eddie jumped back in surprise, and Beatrice fell backwards on her chair in surprise. Both Donald and Daffy were pulled off the stage.

I helped Beatrice up and the penguin waiter brings Eddie his drink. As Eddie was about to drink it, he looks down in his glass, and pulls out…a dark rock.

"Toons!" Eddie mumbled.

"Cigars? Cigarettes?" A high-pitched voice called. "Eddie Valiant!"

Eddie turns back and says,

"Betty?"

Beatrice and I turned around and saw a black and white Toon woman in a black dress. I knew who she was. Betty Boop.

"Long time, no see." Betty said.

"What are you doing here?" Eddie asked.

"Work's been kind of slow since cartoons went to color but I still got it, Eddie."

Betty hums a small tune and strikes a pose.

"Yeah," Eddie said, smiling. "You still got it."

….

Beatrice:

All of the sudden, many men gather up around the stage and start cheering. The lights slowly start to get dimmer. I looked at Marvin Acme, who spraying cologne on himself.

"What's with him?" Eddie asks Betty, referring to Marvin.

"Mr. Acme never misses a night when Jessica performs." Betty replied.

"Got a thing for rabbits, huh?"

Then, a spotlight points at the closed curtains and the audience ceases.

I don't know what the big deal is with Jessica. If Baby Herman says that Jessica is having an affair with Marvin Acme, then it's not making sense if a toon rabbit is dating a human.

"_You had plenty money in 1922…_" I heard a beautiful singing voice say and I see a foot peeking from behind a curtain.

What in the world?

Then, the curtain swings open and reveals…

JESSICA RABBIT?!

_She's no rabbit at all! _I thought. _She's a Toon human!_

Jessica had an incredibly skinny hourglass figure, long red hair, beautiful skin, and in a sparkly pink dress. I was speechless. I couldn't believe this.

Then, the curtain opens up, revealing a small group of Toon crows dressed in gray clothes and playing certain instruments made to play the blues.

Jessica walks across the stage and gently shoves a man off the stage.

I look at Eddie and he had the jaw-dropping look on his face.

"SHE'S MARRIED to ROGER RABBIT?" Eddie whispered to Betty.

"Yeah." Betty replied, dreamily. "What a lucky girl."

Then, before leaving, Betty closes Eddie's mouth and walks away.

Jessica continues to walk down the stage slowly like it was a fashion show while singing her slow song. When she was close to Eddie and Marvin's table, Jessica WALKS on to Marvin's table, steps down and walks behind Marvin. She pinches his cheeks and then slightly surprises Marvin by grabbing a handkerchief from his shirt pocket and rubs it on his head like she was polishing it like a shoe polisher.

To be honest with you, flirting with men can be so disturbing if you have the perfect look like Jessica.

Then, Jessica sits on Eddie's lap and takes his hat off his head. While still singing, Jessica acts like she was going to kiss Eddie and as soon as he leans in, at the last second, Jessica gently shoves Eddie's hat on to his face.

She gets off his lap and walks around his table. While I moved out of the way, Jessica sits down on Eddie's table, strikes a sexy pose, leans into Eddie's face, and pulls him forward with his tie. Eddie looked like he was in a trance and Jessica finished her song by holding the 'Do' for a while, slides her fingers through Eddie's tie, and walks away from him, causing the audience to give her a big round of applause as soon as she disappears behind the curtains.

Marvin Acme disappears as well and Eddie still looks like he's in a trance.

"Eddie," I finally said to him. "It's over. We can get to work now."

"Hey, you can talk!" Eddie exclaimed.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

**Beatrice**:

"AND DON'T LET ME CATCH YOUR PEEPIN' FACES AROUND HERE AGAIN! GOT IT?!" Bongo shouted at us after literally throwing me, Tommy, Eddie out of the Ink and Paint Club.

After Bongo closes the door, which was the exit, Eddie looks at the door, scratches his armpit and shouts: "OOGA BOOGA!"

Uh, before we were thrown out of the Ink and Paint Club by Bongo, we followed Marvin Acme to the backstage area and saw him enter Jessica's dressing room with Jessica's permission. I heard Acme giving compliments to Jessica and even telling her that tonight was her best performance. While Tommy and I quietly followed Eddie, we saw him peek through the key hole in the door. That's when Bongo caught us and threw us out after Eddie called him a chimp.

"Well, that's just great!" Tommy exclaimed. "How are we going to get the evidence if we can't even—Beatrice, what are you doing?"

I was quietly looking through a window that I noticed after getting thrown out. I took a nice peek before I gasped and ducked down immediately after thinking that I was caught.

"Well, did you see anybody?" Eddie asked.

I nodded.

"Marvin Acme?"

I nodded again.

"Even Jessica?" Tommy asked.

I, of course, nodded again.

When Eddie begins to get his camera ready, I quietly pulled out a milk crate and pushed it against the wall for Eddie.

"Not a single sound." Eddie said to me.

I nodded.

When Eddie has his back on me and Tommy, I listened to disturbing conversation that Marvin was having with Jessica.

"I got all of the things here on the bed…" Marvin said but I couldn't make out what he said last.

"Oh, not tonight, Marvin." Jessica said in a kind of sleepy voice. "I have a headache."

"Oh, Jessica, you promised." Marvin said in a little kid tone in his voice.

Eddie quickly snaps a picture and hides.

"Oh, all right." Jessica replied. "But this time, take off that hand buzzer."

Then, while Eddie would snap some pictures every couple seconds or so, Marvin would excitedly say "Patty cake, patty cake" while Jessica would moan in a kind of pleasure that I don't even want to describe.

"This is really disturbing." I whispered to Tommy with his face looking like he just sucked on seven Warhead candies.

Then, Eddie stops taking the pictures and in a stage whisper, he exclaims,

"YOU GOT TO BE KIDDING ME."

_I know. _I thought. _The next time someone asks me to do a favor, I hope that someone shouldn't be a talking baby who smokes and they shouldn't make me and/or Tommy snoop. This is really disgusting! I'll probably be the first to say 'EW!'_

….

**Tommy:**

When that experience of listening to that conversation was over, Eddie, Beatrice, and I ran back to the office and started to develop the pictures. After being developed, Beatrice and I peeked at the pictures while they were drying. It turns out that Marvin Acme and Jessica were literally playing patty cake. It was a relief for both of us.

Then to make this part of the story short, Eddie, Beatrice, and I arrived at R.K. Maroon's office, which looked really nice with all those pictures of celebrities, both Toon and human, and the awards from some events, and R.K. Maroon (who looked like my Uncle Steve after waking from a nap, all tired and slightly irritated) showed up with Roger. Eddie introduced me and Beatrice as his assistants and even mentioned that Beatrice wasn't much of a talker. Then, he began to explain to Maroon and Roger about Marvin and Jessica. As soon as Eddie was done explaining, Roger threw a fit.

"PATTY CAKE!? PATTY CAKE!?" Roger exclaimed while crying and slamming the blinds on the window. "I DON'T BELIEVE IT!" Then, Roger jumps off a shelf that he was standing on for a second and walks to Maroon's desk while crying more. "PATTY CAKE! PATTY CAKE! IT'S NOT TRUE!"

Seeing Roger crying and feeling betrayed was the most heartbreaking thing I've ever seen. Even Beatrice looked like she was going to cry. Eddie, however, was helping himself to an alcoholic drink in a fancy glass bottle.

"Take comfort, son." Maroon said with a small hint sympathy. "You're not the first man that had his wife played patty cake on him."

Maroon hands Roger a handkerchief and while blowing his nose, Roger emits a sound that's crossed between a whoopee cushion and a saxophone. The handkerchief was now dripping and Roger drops it in a bin that Maroon was holding.

"I just don't believe it!" Roger said in between sobs. Then in both declaration and frustration, Roger exclaims, "I WON'T BELIEVE IT! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! I SHAN'T BELIEVE IT!"

Although Beatrice looks like she's going to regret handing the pictures, Eddie hands her the pictures and she hands them to Roger while saying, "Believe it, kid. I took the pictures myself."

Roger snatches the pictures from Beatrice and then, he flips through the pictures.

"NO! NOT MY JESSICA! NOT PATTY CAKE! THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE!" Roger flips through the pictures at a pretty extreme speed. "I DON'T BELIEVE IT! IT CAN'T BE! JESSICA'S MY WIFE! IT'S ABSOLUTELY IMPOSSIBLE!" Roger tosses the pictures away and looks at us in sorrow and betrayal.

"Jessica's the love of my life…"He began to explain. "…the apple of my eye…the cream of my coffee."

This is just heartbreaking.

"Well, you better start drinking it black," Eddie said and drinking the drink. "Because Acme's taking the cream now."

_That was very reassuring AND helpful, Eddie. _I thought angrily and sarcastically.

Although Maroon was looking through the window and peeking at the building that was across the street from the studio, he was still a part of the conversation.

"Hard to believe." Maroon said. "Marvin Acme's been my friend AND neighbor for thirty years. Who would've thought he was a SUGAR DADDY?"

"Somebody must've MADE HER DO IT!" Roger sobbed. I think he meant Jessica in his sentence.

Maroon, with a little bit of sympathy, walks to Roger with another glass bottle of…let's just say it's whiskey…whiskey and pours some of it in a small glass.

"Drink this, son. It'll make you feel better." Maroon said.

Roger stops crying, takes a deep breath, and swallows the drink in one gulp. He throws the glass behind him without looking.

Then, all of the sudden, one of Roger's eyes opens with a sudden POP! Beatrice looks at him in surprise and everyone else, including me, looked at Roger changing colors, blurts out random exclamations in surprise and disgust, and even his cheeks began to expand. When Roger's cheeks were about as big as my face, Maroon covers his ears and Roger's flies up into the air and emits a loud, eardrum busting, steam whistle sound.

When I saw a glass trophy explode into pieces, Beatrice and I covered our ears, ducked, and covered our heads. I heard the faint sounds of glass breaking and the steam whistle going off for a while and I have to tell you, it was not one of the best experiences that I had to be a part of.

Finally, the steam whistle sound stops when I felt a small splash of liquid on my shirt. Beatrice and I slowly got up but jumped back when Roger fell back down and landed back in the chair with his face on the desk. Now the office looks like a tornado just came through the window. Papers were scattered everywhere and there were bits of glass piled up in some areas.

"Thankth." Roger said with his head slowly getting off of the desk. "I needed that." Then, Roger face-slams on the desk and just sits there without doing anything else.

Beatrice and I walked up to him and I heard Beatrice whisper softly and gently, "Are you okay?"

Roger makes a small wheezing noise.

"Mr. Maroon, I think my work here is finished." Eddie finally said, breaking the silence.

"A deal's a deal." Maroon replied.

Both Eddie and Maroon walked over to Roger, who was slowing getting his face off the desk. Roger's eyes were now really red and he makes this wheezing noise, not like an asthma wheeze, that sounded really pitiful.

"Roger, I know that it all seems pretty painful right now," Maroon said. "but you'll find someone new." He turns to Eddie. "Won't he, Mr. Valiant?"

"Yeah, sure." Eddie replied. "With a good-looking guy like that, (he chuckles a little bit) dames will be bringing his door down."

Roger immediately makes an angry look on his face and kind of grits his teeth.

"DAMES?! WHAT DAMES?!" Roger angrily exclaims and grabs Eddie by his collar on his coat. "JESSICA'S THE ONLY ONE FOR ME! YOU'LL SEE! WE'LL RISE ABOVE THIS PIDDLING PECADILLO! WE'RE GOING TO BE HAPPY AGAIN! YOU GOT THAT? HAPPY! CAPITAL H-A-P…P-I!"

Roger suddenly releases Eddie and bursts through a window, leaving an outline of himself. What Roger just did caught me and Beatrice off-guard. It really surprised us both.

"Well, at least he took it well." Eddie said while he and Maroon walked to the window.

….

**Beatrice**:

What I saw was something that I would never forget at all. Despite of watching Roger act and barely even knowing him, I think that I liked Roger better when he was funny.

Anyway, I looked at Tommy and I said,

"Do you think that Roger will be okay?"

That surprised Maroon.

"So you can talk!" He exclaimed.

_Seriously, how long is that going to keep up? That's, like, the third time today. _I thought.

"But yeah. Roger will be okay. He'll probably shake it off." Maroon said.

"I think I should check on Roger, to make sure if he's doing okay." I insisted.

Just as I was about to walk out of the office, Eddie asked me if Tommy and I have some place to stay for the night. I admitted that Tommy and I don't have any other place to stay for the night and Eddie tossed me a key for his office. I knew because he just told me.

"You know the way back to the office?" Eddie asked me.

I nodded my head and left.

While I walked across the street, I began to think about what I've learned about Toons. First of all, they can shake off anything that lands on their head. I learned that from watching Roger's unfinished cartoon. But if you break a Toon's heart, they'll go to pieces, just like humans do. I learned that from Maroon's office.

Then, I found Roger, who was crying and sitting on a wooden crate pressed against a wall of the Acme Factory.

"PLEASE TELL ME IT'S NOT TRUE, JESSICA! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!" Roger cried out.

I don't like seeing Roger like that. It's very heartbreaking. I wasn't sure if I was listening to a Toon human or a rabbit who acts completely human…like Mickey Mouse.

When Roger covers his face with his hands and tears start to squeeze through his fingers, he drops something and lands beneath his feet.

I slowly walked over and picked up the object. It was his wallet. There were three pictures inside of it. There was a picture of Roger and Jessica on their wedding day, on their honeymoon at a beach, and on a date in a diner. I am not a fan of romance, to be honest with you, but I know what true love looks like and Roger has proved it.

But anyway, I cleared my throat and I said,

"Y-y-you dropped your wallet, sir."

Roger looks up at me and I nodded my head. I handed him his wallet. He gently folds it up and puts it in his overall pocket.

"D-do you think you think that you're going to be okay?" I asked Roger and tried to hold my tears.

"I just want to end my life right now! WHY CAN'T TOONS DIE?!" Roger exclaimed and broke down again.

I had a déjà vu moment right after I gently hushed Roger. How Roger was feeling right now reminded me of Kaitlin when she had an emotional breakdown. As if Roger was Kaitlin, I gently said,

"Roger, I know that you're going a really bad time right now but I want you to listen to me. I want you to talk to Jessica and see if there's anything that you can do that can win her back. If things aren't really working out, try to do something nice that can make her love you."

Then, something that reminded me of Kaitlin made me say this,

"Don't try out anything that can put your life at risk. If you're still having trouble, I want you to tell me any problem that you're experiencing. Do you understand?"

Roger sniffs and nods.

When I gave Roger his personal time, I hoped that things would run smoothly from now on.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

**Tommy**:

After Eddie and I arrived at the office, Eddie pulled down a bed from one of his walls. From where it was pulled, the bottom on the bed was disguised as a bunch of filing drawers. I thought that having a bed hidden in the wall was probably the coolest thing ever.

"This is where you and Beatrice will sleep." Eddie said, after pulling the bed down.

I lied down on the bed and started to think about what Mom said to Beatrice. I still couldn't believe that Mom threatened Beatrice last night. She couldn't punish Beatrice just because she couldn't talk. I wonder if Beatrice will ever speak up again. I don't want her to be punished just because she doesn't talk very much.

"Is your sister always quiet?" Eddie asked me. "I mean, I've heard her talk a couple of times but before those times, was your sister always quiet?"

"No, sir. Beatrice was once a pretty talkative sister." I replied. "She always gave good advice to people, was a shoulder for people to cry on, and she even helped some new kids at school. Beatrice was like that until three years ago, despite of still being loyal to people that she interacts with."

"What caused her stop talking?"

"Well, I knew it had something to do with one of best friends but Beatrice never told me the details."

While Eddie takes down the pictures from a hanging clothes line by his desk, he asks,

"Well, if Beatrice never told you, then what did you think about her friend?"

"I didn't really think of anything serious but the only thing that didn't sound too serious was the possibility of moving away to a new home." I said.

I saw Eddie nod his head while he was organizing, shuffling, and reorganizing the pictures.

"Before I did cases with Toons, I had a couple of cases with people who had been threatened by criminals. I also thought a reason why your sister doesn't talk was because someone is constantly threatening her. Has Beatrice ever been threatened?" Eddie asked.

"Not until last night. I was eavesdropping on her conversation with our mom and I only did that in case if the conversation was going to go well." I explained.

"Do you remember what your mom said to Beatrice?"

"She did say that if Beatrice doesn't talk by the time we turn seventeen, which will happen in four days, then Beatrice will never go anywhere or with anyone unless Mom is with her."

"And how did Beatrice react to that?"

"Well, after Mom left her room, Beatrice was really shocked and upset. She even told me that she wants to find something that can help her speak again."

Eddie places the pictures on his desk and he sits down.

"So you're looking for a miracle, huh?" He asked.

"Yes, sir." I replied.

"But miracles don't always come to you right away. I mean, they do, but rarely. It may take some time, days, months, maybe even years to find a miracle. Nowadays, people aren't looking for miracles because, like me, they have their own problems to deal with."

_Excellent philosophy from the start. _I thought. _But I didn't like the end. _

Then, I heard the sound of the door getting unlocked and Beatrice walked in. She closes the door behind her and places it right next to a small trophy.

"Well, did you talk to Roger?" Eddie asked Beatrice.

She nods.

"Did everything work out all right?" I asked.

Beatrice was about to nod but then, she replies,

"Yes, everything worked out. But I surely hope that Roger will take my advice and not wander around somewhere and do something terrible."

While Eddie begins to have a better look at the pictures, I told Beatrice that the bed that I was sitting on was where we're going to sleep. After she got settled into the bed and was getting ready to fall asleep, which will happen in three minutes, I heard Eddie laughing after looking at picture.

Eddie continues to laugh and I, almost immediately, closed my eyes and was getting ready to hit some Z's. Then, the laughing stops. I quietly turned my head and secretly watched Eddie. He was crying, but not out loud, and I noticed a couple of teardrops running down his eyes.

While sleep was taking over mind and my eyes were beginning to close again, I was thinking about how today was a really a crazy day. First, Beatrice and I were just planning on looking around the downtown Houston area, then we find ourselves in 1947 Los Angeles, we did a job for a toon baby who smokes giant cigars, and now, we caused Roger to get upset after taking pictures of Marvin Acme and Jessica.

Well, I don't really have anything else to say because right now…

_Zzzzzz….._

….

BANG!

"AHH!"

I woke up with a start and I found Eddie sitting up with surprise and an unfamiliar man in a detective suit standing close to the dusty desk.

Eddie looked me and said,

"Wake up your sister. We have company."

I gently shook Beatrice and then, she slapped my arm in her sleep. No, I'm not going to give up on waking her up. I shook Beatrice again and this time, she woke up.

"You guys, this is Lieutenant Santino. Santino, this is Tommy and his sister, Beatrice." Eddie said in a typical 'I don't want to go on now because I woke up by a loud noise' morning voice.

"Sorry to wake you like that but I just came by to talk to Eddie." Santino explained. "Anyway, Eddie, if you needed money so bad, then why didn't you come to me?"

Beatrice and I exchanged confused glances at them.

"So, what? I took a couple of dirty pictures, so kill me." Eddie said, then mumbled at the last part.

"Well, I got news for you, Eddie, you now got another case on your hands and I'm not sure if you should have these two involved." Santino said.

"So, uh, what are you saying?" I asked, joining in the conversation.

This is where a brief pause is cued and with a hint of drama and a whole lot of seriousness, Lieutenant Santino announced,

"Marvin Acme…Roger Rabbit killed him last night."

…...

**Beatrice**:

_I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS! _I thought. _I GAVE ROGER SOME GOOD ADVICE AND THIS IS WHAT HE DID?! I SIMPLY TOLD HIM TO GO AND TALK TO JESSICA AND SEE IF THINGS WILL CONTINUE TO WORK OUT! _

"Tommy, will go out and find Baby Herman and tell him our current report?" Eddie asked.

"Yes, sir. Where should I meet you after reporting to Baby Herman?" Tommy asked back.

"Meet us back here as soon as you're done."

Tommy nodded and headed out while I tagged along with Eddie and Lieutenant Santino.

A fast drive later, Santino, Eddie, and I made it to the Acme Factory. After getting out of the car, I noticed, along with Eddie, that the sky was a much brighter blue than before. The toon sun looked like it was having a good time. The exploding colors bursting underneath it…I have no idea why they're there.

"This is the closest I've been to Toon Town in while." Eddie said.

_Okay, Toon Town is on the other side the Acme Factory. I guess the obvious clue is that wall. _I thought to myself.

Then, Yosemite Sam comes flying from behind the brick wall with his pants catching on fire.

"MY BISCUITS ARE BURNIN'!" Yosemite Sam shouts while running around.

_Dude, stop, drop and roll. _I thought.

"GREEN HORNY TOADS, THAT SMARTS!" Yosemite Sam exclaims once again and sits down on a puddle.

That pants-on-fire joke is so cliché. I've seen it too many times.

"Come on, you guys, let's get this over with." Santino said to me and Eddie.

When we entered the factory, Santino reminded the officer, who was standing close to the entrance, that Eddie and I were with him.

I didn't expect the inside of the factory to be really big. Police officers were scattered in some parts, detectives and the other guys who collected the evidence were just walking around looking for something interesting.

Although I'm not a detective, I began to take some mental notes:

Marvin Acme: Victim (Murdered)

Roger Rabbit: Assassin

Crime Scene: Inside the Acme Factory

Tools Used In The Murder:

I stopped for a second. How did Roger kill Marvin Acme?

_If a Toon was planning on murdering a human, _I thought. _They would have to find a certain spot on their body and execute them with the weapon that they plan to use. If a human was shot by a gun, the most common—_

I stopped thinking when my attention was caught by a safe that was tilted a little bit in the center of the room. Beneath the safe was an outline of Marvin Acme, where he stopped after the safe hit him…ouch…on the head.

"Just like a Toon that dropped a safe on a guy's head…" Santino said and then turned to Eddie. "Sorry, Eddie. Just wait there."

Tools Used In The Murder: A large green safe

With Eddie, I looked around the factory. I spotted Jessica. She was inside of a room with glass windows and it seems that she was getting interrogated.

Reason To Start The Crime: Toon rabbit became upset after hearing that his wife was playing patty cake with a human.

Other People That Were Involved: Jessica Rabbit (Wife Of Roger)

"Hey, get a load of this." An officer said and pulled out a flat black circle from a box. "Seen one of these?"

Then, the office smacked the circle on a fake wall and put his hand THROUGH it.

_It's a hole! _I exclaimed in my head.

"Hey, guys!" Another detective shouted and pulled out a toon wooden mallet.

Eddie and I looked at the detective who was holding the mallet and spring-loaded boxing glove bursts out of it. Eddie and I got out of the way…twice before the boxing glove was at the point of hitting us.

"Didn't you use to be Eddie Valiant…ha, ha…or did you change your name to 'Jack Daniels'?" The detective asked and then laughed with the officers.

I frowned at the detective but he didn't see me do it.

Then, Eddie and I approached a man who was picking out some yellow flaky stuff that was on a rope. It was probably the rope that held the safe.

"What's that?" Eddie asked.

"Paint from the rabbit's glove." The man replied and place the paint flakes into a small piece of cloth.

I was starting to have second thoughts about Roger being the guy…or rabbit…who murdered a human. Any Toon can have yellow hands or gloves and Roger's not the only one who does have yellow.

"Mr. Valiant?" Jessica said, surprising me.

When Eddie and I turned to Jessica, this time, she wasn't wearing that sparkly pink dress from the other night. She was wearing a red dress and purple gloves.

Then, Jessica slaps Eddie really hard on the face.

"I HOPE YOU'RE PROUD OF YOURSELF AND THOSE PICTURES YOU TOOK!" Jessica exclaimed angrily and left.

A series of whistles were sounded off when Jessica walked away. I wouldn't blame Jessica for being angry but then again, if Jessica didn't cheat on Roger, then Marvin Acme wouldn't a safe dropped on his head. Everything would've been all right.

I saw two more officers and they were moving a medical stretcher that carried the body of Marvin Acme. One of the officers wasn't looking where he was going and he bumped into a wooden crate.

The crate fell down and the lid fell off. Then, toon shoes, with a mind of their own, were running around the room.

_They can do THAT to Toons?! _I exclaimed in my head.

Officers and detectives from almost every part of the room begin to have a wild chase on the shoes and tried to put them back in the box. One of the shoes kicked an officer's leg, causing one side of the stretcher to tilt down and Marvin's hand slipping from a white sheet. Something drops out of his hand.

It was just a hand buzzer.

I watched the officers successfully put the toon shoes back into the crate while Eddie was reaching down and attempted to grab the buzzer.

My attention was brought back to Eddie when I heard him exclaim in pain. I was about to ask Eddie if he was all right but I was interrupted by the presence of a very pale, slightly wrinkled, and boney man in a black judge outfit and a black hat. His eyes behind his glasses gave me the Medusa stare. I was frozen stiff and I couldn't move.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

**Beatrice**:

"Is this man removing evidence from the scene of the crime?" The man in black asked me in a really loud voice.

Thankfully, Lieutenant Santino came to my rescue and the man looked at him. I am completely thawed from my frozen paralyzed state.

"Uh, no, Judge Doom." Santino replied. "Valiant, here, was just picking it up for you. Weren't you, Eddie?"

Judge Doom extends his black-gloved hand to Eddie.

"Hand it over." Doom commanded.

"Sure." Eddie said and he shocked Doom by pressing the hand buzzer on his hand.

"Best seller." Eddie simply said when he stopped shocking Doom.

I didn't know what Doom was going to do next and I felt my heart beating really, really fast. It started beating even quicker pace when Doom smiled. That smile didn't make things better and I had to move away from Doom. I ought to have NOTHING to do with him OR his creepy smile.

While Judge Doom was having a conversation with Eddie and Lieutenant Santino, I looked at some other crates that were stacked up in a pile. Although I'm tempted to open the crates and see what's inside them, I know better than to look without a special inspection permit.

_I still don't get a couple things that are going on right now. _I thought. _One: If there was yellow paint on the rope, then it can't be Roger. Well, he does wear yellow gloves but that doesn't mean that he's the main suspect. To most people, Roger is the suspect but to some people, including me, the main suspect could be somebody else. And two: can anything that's a Toon breathe in a wooden crate even if it's closed up tightly? _I thought again. _Well, it could be. I don't think a Toon can die from lack of air. I don't think so….I mean, could they?_

"No matter, the rabbit won't get far." Judge Doom declared. "My men will find him."

_I hope things won't get any worse after their arrival. _I thought.

As if it were on cue, a black police car bursts from the entrance and come speeding towards my direction. If I didn't hear the blaring siren, then I would've been squished. I got out of the way when the car was at least fifteen feet away from me. It swerved, ran in to boxes without any serious damage, and stopped. Even the siren stopped making that awful noise.

The logo on the side of the car was labeled "TOON PATROL".

Uh oh.

"You okay, Beatrice?" Eddie called out.

I gave Eddie a nod and a thumbs-up.

"There are my men. They brought a special gift for the work." Judge Doom said.

"All right, yer mugs, FALL OUT!" A voice from the Toon Patrol car shouted.

I turned to the source of the voice.

_What am I seeing?! _ I exclaimed in my head. _Those are not men! Those are…weasels?!_

One by one, four more weasels, TOON WEASELS, start to crawl out of the car. Despite of them being Toons, those weasels don't look like the kind of Toons that would entertain someone with slapstick humor. Instead, they look like the kind of Toons who give people crude humor.

The weasels had a different style of clothing. The first weasel, who's probably the leader, was dressed in a pink zoot suit (which is a type of color that's not natural for boys), a pretty big pink hat, and had spats on his feet. The second weasel (possibly the leader's second-in-command) was dress in a greet suit and his trousers were hiked up to his chest. I even noticed that he had darker hair and slightly darker fur. The third weasel had blue fur, which makes him stand out, a mouthful of cigarettes, and wears a black vest, a wrinkled shirt, and a loose tie. His fingers are stained and his eyes are bloodshot. The fourth weasel is the weasel that really creeps me out the most. His hair is spiked up and he wears a straitjacket. The fourth weasel's eyes are constantly having yellow and white swirls around his eyes. And the last weasel is dressed in a blue and white striped T-shirt, a red beanie with a propeller, and shoes with untied laces. I noticed that he was carrying a baseball with a big nail in it.

"Did you find the rabbit?" The judge called to the weasels.

"Don't worry, Judge! We got 'deformants' all over the city! We'll find him." The lead weasel pink replied and sneered.

_'Deformants'?" _I thought. _Doesn't he mean 'informants'? _

I'm not sure if the leader is trying to answer quickly or he has a malapropism problem. Malapropism is usually an unintentional but humorous misuse or distortion of a certain word or phrase with a similar pronunciation. I really hate it when people can't pronounce words correctly when they're at the age of pronouncing words correctly.

"You there!" Judge Doom called.

I looked at him in confusion. I pointed to myself and mouthed, "Me?"

"Yes, you. Do you have any idea where the rabbit might be?"

Since I think that Roger isn't the murderer, I shook my head 'No'.

I heard the weasel in the green suit chuckle.

"Not much of talker, is she, boss?" The green suit weasel asked in a strong Spanish accent.

I tried not to be a part of the conversation by pretending that I was still looking at the crates that weren't ran over by the Toon Patrol's police car. I kind of gave up the act when I got distracted by the Toon Patrol car.

_Usually humans would drive in a car like this in the 1940s but how did these weasels get a hold of this? _I wondered. _Is that even legal?_

The Toon Patrol car looked really clean and freshly polished and the tires looked really new. I wasn't sure if I was looking at a car that just came off the assembly line or if it was treated with delicacy.

"I see that you're admiring our car." The weasel in the green suit said, surprising me.

"Hehehe. _Lo siento, chica. No era mi intención asustarte._"

I had no idea what he just said and I wasn't admiring the car. I just wanted to study it, just in case if I saw the car again.

"cough, cough! He said," The smoking weasel began in a raspy voice. "cough!He said that he's sorry for startling you."

I just gave them a blank stare.

Then, the lead weasel came by and pushed the smoking weasel and the green suit weasel out of the way.

"Lemme talk to the broad." He said harshly and lit a cigar. "Why are you near our car? And where are you from? You dress funny."

_Says the guy…er, weasel who's wearing a pink zoot and spats. _I thought of saying. _And if you must know, I'm from Houston, Texas in the year 2012 and I like to dress in long denim shorts, white tank tops over my blue T-shirts, tennis shoes, and have my blonde hair like Katniss's braid. Plus, I'm highly offended because you called me a 'broad'. _Seriously, I would've said that but I couldn't.

The lead weasel inhaled on his cigar lightly and then, he blew a smoke ring at my face.

I coughed in disgust.

"Aren't you going to shay somethin' or do I have to make you?" The lead weasel asked.

When I stopped coughing, I put my heads up as if I was saying 'Take it easy, I don't want to fight you'. Then I noticed that he said 'shay' instead of 'say'.

Then I heard the sound of a toon shoe squeaking. I turned my head to the left and I saw Judge Doom carrying a small red and white Toon shoe with a rubber glove. The shoe continued to squeak nervously as Doom walked to the back of the Toon Patrol car. I saw a gray barrel with something leaking out of it.

I watched Doom and I listened to Eddie and Lieutenant Santino whisper to each other.

"How did that gargoyle get to be a judge?" Eddie asked Santino.

"Spread a bunch of semolians around Toon Town a couple years ago and bought the election." Santino replied.

"Yeah? What's that?"

I watched the judge flip the lid off the bar and I couldn't believe what I had to smell after steam came bursting out for a brief second. I had to smell a combination of burning nail polish remover, burnt paint, rotten eggs, sour milk, and cigars.

Then I noticed that the weasel in the green suit was standing next to me and he was also watching Judge Doom. I just ignored him, even when he was holding my hand and rubbing his sharp-nailed thumb across my palm.

"Remember how we always thought that there WASN'T a way to KILL a Toon?" Santino whispered to Eddie with some fear in his voice.

"Yeah." Eddie replied.

"Well, Doom found a way." Then, Santino whispered three familiar words that I might've heard from watching a film about cartoonists. "Turpentine…acetone…and benzene. He (Judge Doom) calls it 'THE DIP'."

Then I remembered something, kind of a déjà vu moment. But after that, I forgot why I was reminded with a déjà vu moment.

"I'll catch the rabbit, Mr. Valiant." Doom said. "Then I'll try him, convict him…and EXXX-ECUTE him."

Doom lowers the shoe into the DIP and it screams and whimpers in shock, fear, and pain as it dissolves. I stood in shock. My eyes were wide as sugar plums and I felt like I was staring into Judge Doom's eyes again and went back to my frozen state. I wished that I wouldn't have seen a live toon shoe get dissolved before my eyes.

After the whimpering had ceased, Judge Doom walks out from a cloud of steam and the weasel in the straitjacket giggled with insanity and glee. I saw Doom's glove dripping red paint and it looked like human blood.

"That's one dead shoe, eh, boss?" The weasel in the green suit chuckled.

"This is how we handle things in Toon Town now, Mr. Valiant." Judge Doom said. "I think that you of all people would appreciate that."

_Dude, that is really messed up! _I shouted in my head.

Then, the head weasel somehow got a hold of Judge Doom's glove that was used during the shoe's execution and he walked towards me. He got the glove close to my face. I backed away and then, I tripped backwards and I, fearfully, tried to scoot myself away from the glove dripping with paint. The leader looked like he was having a good time while he was getting closer and closer with the glove.

"Hey! Knock it off, will you?!" Eddie shouted to the weasel.

The weasel with the glove looked at Eddie with an angry look on his face. It gave me some time to get back on my feet and run back to Eddie and Santino.

"Still in shock?" Santino asked.

"Yes, sir. I am deeply traumatized by the death of that poor shoe." I finally replied but not loud enough for the weasels to hear me.

"So you do talk." Santino said.

_Really? _I thought in an irritated matter. _Is this still going to keep up?_

"But I am traumatized, too. I may not look like it but I didn't like the sight of the shoe and the DIP." Santino said.

"You did look away for a second." Eddie reminded.

"Um, ah, call me if you need anything, Eddie. Try to stay out of trouble if you can."

When Santino, Eddie, and I were about to part our own ways, the Toon Patrol car drove up and immediately stopped when it got close to me. I turned to it and the window rolled down. The weasel in the green suit winked at me.

_He's got an appetite for me. _I thought. _I am seriously not his type!_

"Don't mind the boss, _mi querida niña_." The weasel said. "He thinks that business comes before pleasure, like yourself. Well, adios! We shall see each other again…" He reaches out and pats me on the head. "…real soon." He rolls up the window and drives away.

"Well, he certainly got his eyes on you." Eddie said to me.

Along with an awkward pause, Lieutenant Santino and I looked at Eddie with confused looks on our face. Well, for me, it was a combination of anger and confusion.

"What?" Eddie asked.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

**Tommy:**

"Will you please wait for a few more minutes?!" I exclaimed impatiently to Baby Herman. "They'll be up in a few minutes."

Currently, I am with Baby Herman, who was in a baby carriage, and a random lady that Baby Herman called over while walking down the street.

"Well, they better hurry up 'cuz I'M GETTING BORED!" Baby Herman exclaimed.

I did what Eddie wanted me to do, give Baby Herman the report on Jessica and Acme's affair and the murder of Marvin Acme. The murder is what made Baby Herman ticked off. He grabbed a newspaper while he made me take him to Eddie's office and placed it into his carriage. I knew that Eddie wasn't gonna be in the mood of talking to Baby Herman and I tried to talk Baby Herman out of it but he insisted. Even after arriving, Baby Herman, the strange lady, and I had to wait outside of the office because of one of Eddie's rules. While waiting, the lady lit up a cigar for Baby Herman.

"There you are!" I called to Eddie and Beatrice.

They walked up and just as I predicted, Eddie wasn't in the mood of talking to Baby Herman when he looked at him.

"You're Eddie Valiant, right?" Baby Herman asked.

"Yeah, that's me." Eddie replied.

"I want to talk to you about the Acme murder."

Baby Herman dismisses his lady friend and gives her an errand to run for him.

"It must be tough being a lady's man if you're…you know." I said.

"Hey, my problem is that I got fifty-year-old lust and a three-year-old dinky." Baby Herman said. "But enough tea party chit-chat, we got serious to discuss. Look, Valiant, boy, and Toots, the rabbit didn't kill Acme."

I looked at Beatrice and we exchanged glances.

"He's not a murderer, he's a dear friend of mine!" Baby Herman exclaimed. "But I tell you, the WHOLE THING STINKS like yesterday's diapers!" Baby Herman hands Eddie the newspaper that he's carrying in his carriage. "The paper says that Acme had no will! That's succotash! I mean, any Toon knows that Acme had a will and promised to leave Toon Town to us, TOONS. That will is the REASON why got bumped off."

"What does 'bumped off' mean?" I whispered to Beatrice.

"It means 'to assassinate'." She whispered back.

"Has anybody ever seen this will?" Eddie asked Baby Herman.

"Uh, no." Baby Herman replied. "BUT he gave us his solemn oath!"

Eddie looked uninterested in the conversation and he walked around the carriage and turned it around.

"If you believe that the joker could do anything solid, the gag's on you, pal!" Eddie said.

"I just figured that since you got my pal in TROUBLE, you might want to HELP GET HIM OUT! I can pay you." Baby Herman said with a bit of effort and mild persuasion.

That didn't seem to convince Eddie because he pushed the carriage away with Baby Herman pleading not to push it and bumped the lady really hard. The force of the bump caused Baby Herman's cigar to fall on to the floor. He looks down and wails an 'un-baby' wail. Eddie pulls me and Beatrice in to his office and shuts the door, hoping that Baby Herman would shut up.

"It's not my fault that the rabbit got in trouble." Eddie said before swallowing a small glass of whiskey.

"The murder of Marvin Acme is partially your fault, Eddie." I objected.

Eddie looked up.

"Yeah? How so?" He asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Well," Beatrice said. "you took pictures of Marvin and Jessica playing patty-cake."

I nodded my head.

"So, what? All I did was take a couple of pictures." Eddie remarked. "You probably told Roger that he can have his revenge. It should be your fault, too, Beatrice."

I looked at Eddie in shock and Beatrice gives him the most disturbing angry look that I've ever seen.

"Now, listen here, Eddie Valiant! All I told Roger is that he needs to TALK TO JESSICA, try to win her back, and see if things will still work out for them." Beatrice exclaimed. "I DID NOT SAY ANYTHING ABOUT MURDERING ANYBODY."

Eddie and I looked at her in amazement. I didn't expect her to say that. This is the very first time that I've heard Beatrice speak the truth.

Then, I decided to change the subject by asking Beatrice about the crime scene.

"There was an outline of Marvin Acme and there was safe on a part of the outline. On a rope that held the safe was stained with yellow paint from Roger's glove and had been cut off by somebody." Eddie said, interrupting Beatrice.

"But the problem is the yellow paint." Beatrice said. "I mean, any Toon can have yellow skin or yellow gloves, so there's got to be another suspect on the list."

"Since when did you start the idea of investigating the murder?!"

"Since I walked in to the Acme Factory and got flirted with BY A PSYCHOTIC WEASEL AND I WAS HARASSED BY HIS LEADER WHO HAS A MALAPROPISM PROBLEM!"

"What?!" I exclaimed.

Then, Beatrice does a hand gesture by moving them side to side, as if to say, "Never mind."

I just couldn't believe what Beatrice said and I was tired of seeing Eddie acting like a little kid. If Beatrice thinks that Roger is innocent, then that's her opinion. I don't care what Eddie thinks but he needs to think before saying or doing things that could hurt somebody.

"Beatrice, what did you mean by being 'flirted with by a psychotic weasel'?" I asked.

"We were inside the Acme Factory and one of the weasels got really attracted to her." Eddie interrupted once again. "Then, his leader harassed her by waving a rubber glove in front of her face. Plus, your sister was almost road kill to the Toon Patrol."

"You don't want to make them angry…" Beatrice mumbled. "…or else, the Toon Patrol will go nuts."

"And don't mess around with Judge Doom. He's one heck of a gargoyle. Not literally but he's scary."

"Eddie, I wasn't at the Acme Factory." I reminded. "Who's Judge Doom?"

"He's the ruler of Toon Town and doesn't look like a good ruler. His way of punishing Toons is by killing them in the DIP." Eddie explained.

I gave Eddie a blank look. He didn't look up.

"The DIP is a mixture of three paint thinners that's really acidic." Beatrice said for Eddie. "Eddie told me that if a human touches the DIP, they'll be all right. But if a Toon-GULP!-if a Toon touches the DIP, they'll be killed…permanently."

"Your sister is still very shocked from watching a toon shoe getting dipped." Eddie said.

Then, all of the sudden, Eddie became hesitant. He starts tilting his glass at angle and squinted.

"What in the world?" Eddie whispered.

That caught my attention. Beatrice was also very curious about why Eddie is looking really confused.

"Eddie, what is it?" I asked.

Eddie didn't answer and he dug through one of his desk drawers. He takes out a magnifying glass and looks at one of the pictures from last night with Marvin Acme and Jessica playing patty-cake.

"Eddie, what is it?" I asked again. "What did you just see?"

"One of the pictures of Marvin and Jessica just exposed something in Marvin Acme's pocket." Eddie said. "It's his will. It was in his pocket before he was killed and after I took the pictures."

Beatrice and I looked at the picture. I gasped and Beatrice did the same.

"Baby Herman said that Marvin Acme had a will but the paper said that he didn't." I said in a shocking matter.

"That means…Baby Herman was right." Beatrice said, shockingly.

"Eddie, do you think that when Marvin Acme was murdered, someone took the will out of his pocket after leaving Marvin Acme dead?" I asked.

Eddie stared out into space with a blank look on his face. Then, he snapped out of it and shook his head.

"Who am I kidding? I don't want to be a part of this case." Eddie said. "I'm just going to take a nap right now and try to get this case out of my head."

Eddie got up from his chair and took down the bed (It was put back up before we left the office.).

….

Beatrice:

When Eddie lied down on the bed, I noticed that something was moving.

_What the-? _I thought.

I stood on my tip-toes and I saw…Roger Rabbit.

I tried stifling a laugh but Eddie heard me and looked at me with an angry look on his face.

"What's so funny?" He nearly exclaimed.

"Eddie, you got a visitor in your bed!" Tommy laughed.

Eddie turned to his left and along with Roger, in unison; they scream and jump off of the bed. Roger hits his back on the wall after jumping off the bed in terror.

"Hey, boys and girl!" Roger exclaimed.

He smiled at me but immediately looked scared after looking at Eddie, who looked angry and I imagined that steam was coming out of his ears.

"Does anybody know that you're hiding here?" Eddie exclaimed.

"Nobody! Not a soul, except…uh…" Roger said.

"WHO?" Tommy, Eddie, and I asked in unison.

"Well, you see…" Roger began and stood in the middle of the bed. "I didn't know where your office was so I asked the newsboy. He didn't know!" While he continues to explain, Roger twists his arms up, as if he was giving someone a bunch of detailed directions to some place. "So I asked the fireman, the green grocer, the butcher, the baker, THEY DIDN'T KNOW! But the liquor store quy..." Roger untwists his arms. "…he knew."

That set Eddie off. He grabbed Roger by the neck in fury and carried him to the door. Eddie's action shocked me and Tommy.

"IN OTHER WORDS THE WHOLE TOWN KNOWS WHERE YOU ARE!" Eddie shouted.

"TAKE IT EASY, WILL YA?!" Roger exclaimed. "P-B-B-LEASE, EDDIE!" Eddie opens the door and tries to push Roger out of the office but Roger extends his arms and grabs the door and the door frame to prevent himself from getting pushed out of the office by Eddie. "DON'T YOU REALIZE THAT YOU'RE MAKING A BIG MISTAKE?! I DIDN'T KILL ANYBODY! I SWEAR!"

Deep down in my heart for some reason, I believed that Roger…was telling the truth.

_This murder could be a set-up. _I thought. _Despite of knowing Roger for only a little bit, a little voice in my head is telling me that murdering isn't a part of Roger's nature._

With effort, Eddie grabs the ends of Roger's overall pant leg things (I have no idea what they're called.) and stretches Roger like a rubber band.

"OW! I COULD NEVER HURT ANYBODY! OW!" Roger exclaimed again. "MY WHOLE PURPOSE IN LIFE IS TO MAKE…PEOPLLLLE…LAAAAAUGH!"

Roger releases himself and hits Eddie, knocking him down. Roger quickly jumps on the bed. His knees were shaking underneath his baggy overalls and he looked kind of terrified.

"Roger, what did you do after Beatrice talked to you last night?" Tommy asked.

"I decided to take her advice." Roger replied.

I sighed in relief.

"How did things work out for you and Jessica?" Tommy asked again.

"Well, I didn't actually talk to Jessica. Before I had to walk home, I snuck into Jessica's dressing room and write a love letter." Roger explained.

"You did the 'lipstick on a mirror' routine?" Eddie asked.

"Yes, there was lipstick but instead of a mirror," Roger said and takes out a sheet of paper. "I found this nice, clean sheet of paper." He unfolds the paper and begins to read the messy red lipstick handwriting. "'Dear Jessica, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways…" Roger begins jumping on the bed, joyfully. "…one one-thousand…two one-thousand…three one-thousand…"

Eddie, looking bored, begins to walk to his desk and Roger stops jumping on the bed and begins to follow him.

"But how come you didn't leave the love letter in Jessica's dressing room?" Eddie asked.

"I wanted to this letter to be read in person so I went home to wait for Jessica." Roger replied. Then, his face went from anticipation to worry. "But the weasels were there, waiting for me. So…so I ran."

"But why did you come to Eddie?" Tommy asked. "He's the one who took the pictures of your wife!"

Eddie nodded with a glass in his hand and Roger began looking through an unfinished scrapbook of past Toon cases that was once left untouched on the dusty desk that was in front of Eddie's desk.

"That's true," Roger pointed out. "but Eddie's also the guy who helped solve these Toons. Everybody knows that when a Toon's in trouble, there is only one place to go: Valiant and Valiant."

"Not anymore." Eddie mumbled.

When Roger was about to sit on a dusty chair from the dusty desk, Eddie jumped out of his chair in anger.

"GET OUT OF THAT CHAIR!" Eddie shouted, angrily.

Eddie's sudden exclamation made me feel like that my heart was about to burst out of my chest and it made Roger stop and slowly move away from the chair.

"That's my brother's chair." Eddie said with a hint of regret and mourning.

_Is that really Eddie's brother, who's standing next to him in most of the pictures? _I thought.

"Where is your brother, anyway?" Tommy asked.

Roger looks at one of the pictures and with a little bit of slyness in voice and on his face, Roger says,

"He looks like a sensitive and…sober fellow."

Eddie finally had enough with Roger and he grabbed a phone. He declares that he was going to call the cops. I had to tell you that it didn't sound like it was a nice thing to do. I looked at Roger, who was making a dramatic speech.

"GO AHEAD! CALL THE COPS! I come here for help and what do you do? You turn me in!" He exclaimed and started walking towards the…wrong door. "No, no! Don't feel guilty about me! SO LONG…AND THANKS FOR NOTHING!"

Roger slams the door and some things fall down from the slam.

"Roger?" Tommy called.

"THAT'S THE CLOSET!" Eddie exclaimed.

I walked to the closet door and opened it. I looked around in there but Roger was nowhere to be seen. That really baffled me.

_How did Roger disappear all of the sudden if he walked into the wrong 'exit'? _I wondered.

"Eddie," I said for the first time since my heated argument with him. "Roger's not in there."

Eddie stands up and walks to the closet. Tommy and I peeked at Eddie while he looked through the closet. All of the sudden, Roger peeks out of from a hanging trench coat, with his face looking like a cartoon man with an over-exaggerated square jaw.

"EDDIE VALIANT…" Roger says and grabs Eddie's left hand. "YOU'RE UNDER ARREST!"

Roger handcuffs himself to Eddie and then, he makes a long "P-B-B-B-B…" and his face goes back to normal. He stops making that…I must confess…adorable and silly sound when Eddie yanks him out of the closet. He nearly whacked me and Tommy with Roger getting swung around. Roger lands on the bed and smiles at the sight of his wrist handcuffed to Eddie's wrist.

"You idiot…" Eddie growled. "I got NO KEYS for these cuffs!"

"WHAT?!" Tommy, Roger, and I exclaimed, in unison.

Then, I heard a familiar noise outside.

"Hey, guys." I announced. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Roger and Tommy asked me, in unison.

I shushed them and then, everyone in the office listened. Roger freaked out and he ran to the window with Eddie dragging behind him. He pulls up the blinds and Tommy and I walked up to the window. I looked down and it was…

THE TOON PATROL CAR!

I saw the weasels get out of their car quickly and a couple of them nearly got ran over by passing cars. I seriously don't want to interact with THEM again.

"IT'S THE TOON PATROLLLL!" Roger exclaimed in terror.

He leaps away from the window and with Eddie dragging behind, Roger hides under the bed. It didn't become a good hiding spot when it got back up on the wall by itself. That didn't stop Roger and he gets back on his feet.

"HIDE ME, YOU GUYS! P-B-B-B-LEASE!" Roger exclaimed and dives into the dusty desk drawer. Eddie's was also in the drawer.

Roger's head peeks out of another drawer and says to Eddie,

"Remember you never saw me."

"GET OUT OF THERE!" Eddie yelled and pulls Roger out of the drawer.

Eddie places Roger on top of the desk and thanks to Roger's feet; he knocked down a couple of things down.

Roger stands on the desk and with a sad look on his face, he says,

"Come on, Eddie, Tommy, and Beatrice…you three are my only hope."

That sentence tugged my heart strings.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

Eddie, Roger, Tommy, and I turn to the door. The silhouettes of Toon Patrol were shown on the door.

"OPEN UP IN THE NAME OF THE LAW!" The leader shouted.

I turned to Eddie.

"Come on, Eddie." I said. "You saw what Judge Doom did to the shoe! If the Toon Patrol gets their hands on Roger, he'll be gone!"

I even heard one of the weasels say: "Don't make us break the door down!"

"And there's no justice for Toons anymore because of Judge Doom!" Roger whimpered.

"DON'T MAKE US PLAY ROUGH, VALIANT! WE JUST WANT THE RABBIT!" The leader shouted again.

Then, Roger asks Eddie "What are we going to do" at least three times.

"What's all this 'we' stuff?" Eddie asked. "They just want the rabbit."

"C'mon, Eddie!" Tommy and I exclaimed, in unison.

Our exclamation made Eddie come to his senses.

"Okay, okay!" He said. "Here's what WE'RE going to do…"


	9. Chapter 9 part one

Chapter Nine

Tommy:

After hearing multiple gun shots, I started doing my part of the Eddie's plan with Beatrice. We are officially Eddie's new assistants and Roger is his client and fugitive. Eddie remains with his private detective role. Right now, Beatrice and I are sitting on Eddie's chair and pretending to read the newspaper.

The door knob that was shot at multiple times fell off the door. The door swung open by itself and with the help of a mirror that was standing on a thick book, I watched the weasels come in. I was terrified by the sight of the smoking weasel with blue fur because he was carrying a big Tommy gun. I knew what it was after reading one of Dad's books about guns and other weapons a long time ago.

The last four weasels come in to the office and at first, all five of the weasels didn't seem to notice me and Beatrice sitting and reading the newspaper.

"Looks like they gave us the slip, huh, boss?" The weasel in the green suit asked in a strong Spanish accent.

"Nah. Valiant's got him stashed somewhere." The weasel in the pink suit replied and pulls out a pistol from his suit.

For a Toon weasel, the leader is so prepared to start and end a fight.

I looked at Beatrice.

She mouths: "The weasel in the green suit is the one who flirted with me and the leader is in the pink. Be very careful when you're talking to him. He can throw a fit."

I mouth back: "Don't worry. I'm right here with you and I got your back. Just try to get a grip."

Beatrice smiles a small smile.

"Hey, you!" The leader exclaimed. "Behind the pepper! SHOW 'YOUR-SHELVES'!"

Beatrice growls silently and then, after calming down, we slowly reveal ourselves. The leader had his pistol pointing at us and then, he lowers it.

"Ugh, you again!" The leader said to Beatrice. "What are you doing here?!"

When Beatrice was about to stand up in anger, I stopped her and looked at the weasel straight into his eyes.

"If you must know, _sir_," I began. "We're Eddie Valiant's new assistants."

"Show us where Valiant is!" The leader demanded and pointed his pistol at us again.

Beatrice narrows her eyes and points to her left, where Eddie is pretending to do his laundry in his sink.

The leader walks to Eddie and says,

"HOLD IT RIGHT…there."

Eddie barely turns his head to the leader and squeezes something in hand.

"Hello, boys. I didn't hear you come in." He said, calmly.

The leader pulls up and climbs on a chair and begins to question Eddie while pointing the pistol at him.

"Where's the rabbit?" The leader demanded.

Eddie shrugged.

"Haven't seen 'im." He lied.

While three of the weasels (the smoking one, the crazy weasel with a straitjacket, and the weasel with the red beanie) were looking around the room, the weasel in the green suit walks over to Beatrice.

"I didn't know that I was going to you again." He said in kind of a tone with lust. "_Se sentía como ... para siempre_."

Beatrice looks at me in confusion. Since I was good at speaking Spanish, I decided to translate for her.

"He said 'it felt like forever.'" I said.

Beatrice gives me a funny look. Not the look that'll make me laugh but the look that makes you look like you're queasy.

Then, I heard the leader ask Eddie,

"What's in there?"

I watch Eddie pull up a wet sock and the leader exclaims and winces in disgust. When I saw the leader turn away and holding his nose, I heard ROGER splash, sputter, and go 'P-B-B-B-B-B' in the sink. Since Beatrice and I knew that Roger was in the sink, Eddie told us to distract the Toon Patrol by improvisation. Beatrice saw the leader and the weasel in the green suit turn their heads toward Eddie's direction and immediately after Roger placed back in the sink, she acted like she had the hiccups.

"You okay?" I asked.

Beatrice nods her head and then, she continues to pretend to have hiccups. The leader walks away from Eddie and then, he shoos away the weasel in the green suit and looks at me and Beatrice in the eye, with his pistol ready.

"Out of the many detectives in this city, why did you have to choose this detective?" He asked.

Beatrice exchanges a glance with me and I replied matter-of-factly,

"My sister and I tried to assist many detectives and a couple of officers but none of them were interested with us. When we came here, Mr. Eddie Valiant told us that we got the jobs."

The leader notices that the weasel in the green suit was distracted and he tells the other weasels, "Search the place, boys…and leave no stone unturned."

When I 'noticed' that Beatrice's 'hiccups' were getting 'worse', I turned to her and told her to take a deep breath and hold it for five seconds. I turned to the leader and I kind of noticed that the other weasels were making a long trail of messes while looking for Roger. Papers were tossed into the air, filing drawers and cabinets were becoming disorganized, and many other things were scattered everywhere.

"If you're planning on asking us more questions, then I suggest that you give us your names, if you have any, so we can make this interrogation easier." I said. "You know Mr. Eddie Valiant, I'm Tommy and the girl next to me is my sister and her name is Beatrice. And you are?"

"Smarty." The leader replied harshly.

He points his finger at the blue weasel, who blows a big cloud of smoke...

"That's Wheezy…"

…then the weasel in the straitjacket, who laughs maniacally for a second…

"…Psycho…"

…the weasel in the green suit, who looks up and makes a clicking noise…

"Greasy…"

….and then, the last weasel with a baseball bat with a nail in it.

"…and that's Stupid."

I wonder why they sound like Doc and Dopey. But anyway, in a serious and frightened tone, I say,

"It's nice to meet you."

Beatrice nods her head.

Smarty looks at Eddie and excuses himself. When he turns his back on me and Beatrice, Greasy walks back to us and then, he starts making goo-goo eyes at Beatrice. I could tell that Beatrice was about to lose herself when she saw him make that face. He even starts rubbing his fingers on one of Beatrice's hands.

"You're this girl's brother, aren't you?" Greasy asked me.

I nodded.

"Have you noticed that your sister's hands are really soft?"

I glanced down at Beatrice's hand. It looks like that she wants Greasy to try out one of her knuckle sandwiches. I placed my hand on Beatrice's lap and it took her a while to cool down a little.

"Yes, I noticed." I said, answering Greasy's question. "Out of many family members, my sister has the softest hands."

I really shouldn't have answered that question when Beatrice gave me a small angry look. I gave her a look that tells her 'I'm sorry, I had to answer.'

Then, I heard Smarty gasp in surprise and everyone, including me and Beatrice (minus Roger and Eddie), watched him as he fell down the staircase with a bar of soap in his mouth. I guess Eddie didn't like the sound of Smarty swearing.

When Smarty struggles to get the bar of soap out of his mouth, Psycho, Stupid, Wheezy, and Greasy began to laugh hysterically. With a frown on his face and with the soap still in his mouth, Smarty orders them to stop laughing. Of course, the others continue to laugh.

In a mild rage, Smarty spits the bar of soap and it hits Wheezy, making him fly of the desk and hit the window blinds. It also made Wheezy cease his dry and raspy laugh. But Greasy, Psycho, and Stupid continued to laugh. Smarty grabs a toilet plunger and says, as if he thinks that every word in his sentences was punctuated with an exclamation point,

"STOP THAT LAUGHING! DO YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU CAN'T! STOP! LAUGHING?!"

While Smarty talked, he hits Psycho and Greasy on their heads with the toilet plunger. When Stupid was the last weasel left laughing, Beatrice and I watch Smarty throw the toilet plunger like a spear and it shuts Stupid's mouth, leaving him pinned on a column of filing cabinets and leaving me and Beatrice with surprised and shocked looks.

"One of these days, you're going to DIE LAUGHING!" Smarty exclaimed angrily and walked up to Eddie.

He points his pistol at Eddie and while standing on a chair, he says,

"As for YOU, Valiant, step out of line and we'll hang YOU…and your laundry out to dryyy…"

Smarty splashes the water a couple of times and walks away from Eddie for the last time. Beatrice and I watch Stupid pull the plunger off of his mouth and I didn't notice Smarty climbing on top of the column of filing drawers and bends down. His free arm reaches down and grabs Beatrice by her tank top. He pulls her up so that he can stare at her straight in her eyes.

"And as for you, you silent broad, if you don't start talking, then I'm going to get a faceball bat and smack you so hard until you start singing like a 'coronary'." Smarty hissed and drops Beatrice like she was a rag doll. She shows him no fear.

He jumps off the filing cabinet and walks to the door while cackling.

"C'mon, boys!" Smarty said. "Let's am-scray!"

Psycho, Wheezy, and Stupid follow Smarty but Greasy drags behind. He pulls up his trousers up a little bit (even though they're hiked up to his chest) and looks at Beatrice.

"I hate this business before pleasure, _mi hermosa niña _(my beautiful girl)_._" He lamented. "But I have to follow the boss. But until then, _adiós, cariño_."

Greasy walks out of the office and closes the door, despite of the knob getting shot off.

I counted down from six and then, I told Beatrice and Eddie that we were clear.

Beatrice groans out loud (because she was keeping everything locked up her mind and struggled not to beat up two weasels) and then, we walk to Eddie. He pulls Roger out of the sink and pats him on the back. Roger smiles at us and wrings his ears like a wet towel.

"Jeepers, guys! That was swell!" Roger exclaimed. "You saved my life! How can I ever repay you?"

Roger leaps out of the sink and with gratitude; he kisses Eddie on his face. Beatrice and I watched in hysteria and shock, even after Eddie pushed Roger away.

"For starters," Eddie said, disgusted. "DON'T EVER KISS ME AGAIN!"

He spits and wipes his lips in disgust.

"So, uh, what do we have to do now?" Beatrice asked.


	10. Chapter 9 part two

Chapter Nine part two

Beatrice:

Until Smarty introduced me and Tommy to himself and the other weasels, Psycho, Greasy, Wheezy, and Stupid, I almost thought of continuing to call them the names that I came up on my own and I believe that some of the names were really close guesses. This is what I named the Toon Patrol:

Smarty= "Bossy"

Greasy= "Creepy"

Wheezy= "Smokey"

Psycho= "Crazy"

…and Stupid= "Moron."

Okay, all of those names were really close.

But anyway, I was so irritated by Smarty's malapropisms and Greasy's inappropriate behavior towards me. So far, I heard Smarty mispronounce 'paper', 'yourselves', 'corroborated', a swear word that I won't even bother to say, 'baseball,' and 'canary'. Obviously, I won't sing like a _canary _(A coronary probably has something to do with the heart), even if I get smacked by a _baseball _bat_. _

_I swear, _I thought when Smarty dropped me, _I swear if he mispronounces a word one more time, I'm going to lose it! _

Greasy reminded me of my ex-boyfriend, minus his weasel appearance and his Spanish language and accent. Like Greasy, my ex-boyfriend had an appetite for pretty girls and tomboy girls, like me, but instead of cherry-picking (probably unlike Greasy), my ex would take one small but very good look at a certain girl and he would become really attracted to the girl, date her, dump her, and then, he would go after another girl. When I met my ex, I thought he was nice but I was wrong when he tried to do inappropriate things on me. Although it kind of hurt when I told my ex that we were through (the tears-feeling betrayal-and drama routine), I felt better after not being around him at all.

All right, enough about this. I'm going back to the story.

When the coast was clear enough for Eddie, Roger, Tommy, and me, Eddie told me and Tommy to look for his tool box and get a bone saw. I knew that Eddie was trying to separate himself from Roger. I don't know why Roger chose to handcuff himself to Eddie but it probably wasn't a very nice thing to do, despite of the silliness.

"Tommy, have you heard from Mom yet?" I asked while looking through the messy office.

"No, I haven't heard from her yet but I wonder how she and Dad are doing right now." Pause. "I do have a couple of questions for you."

"What's that?"

"Why did you growl and tense up when Smarty and Greasy got up in your face and space?"

I rolled my eyes.

"I mentioned that Smarty has a problem with malapropisms and I don't like people with a very poor vocabulary, even if they're at the age where they'll be able to use the right words in the appropriate sentences. And Greasy, he's being inappropriate." I said.

After looking, Tommy and I couldn't find the tool box or the bone saw. We even tried double-checking but gave up after seeing Eddie trying putting on his trench coat with Roger still handcuffed to him.

"Where are you going, Eddie?" Tommy asked.

"I'm to the Terminal Station. I think Delores might have something that can get me out of these cuffs." Eddie replied to us, exasperated.

Too make this part short because it took me, Eddie, and Tommy a while to keep Roger shut up…in Eddie's coat…and walk to the bar with Roger wiggling around.

When Eddie, Tommy, Roger (still hidden in Eddie's coat), and I arrived at the Terminal Station, the inside was darker than before and there were more customers than before Tommy and I arrived for Eddie. Thankfully, Delores was on duty and she led us to a secret room.

After closing the door, Roger let a loud,

"WHEW! JEEPERS, EDDIE! THAT ALMOST KILLED ME!"

Tommy and I quickly shushed Roger before he attracted any unwanted attention.

Then, I heard Eddie exclaim in pain after bumping his head on a hanging lamp.

Delores turns out the light. I am seeing a claustrophobically-small room with random posters on the wall, some shelves with things that I can't even identify, a bed, several boxes stacked together, and a small mini-bar with small bottles of alcoholic drinks.

"What kind of room is this?" Tommy asked.

"It's a rotgut room or a 'speakeasy', as some people will call it." Delores explained and then, she leads Eddie to a shelf and tells him that there are some tools on one of the shelves. But in the process, Roger blasts himself towards a peep hole, causing Eddie, Delores, and some things to fall down.

"It's a SPY HOLE!" Roger exclaimed. "JEEPERS, YOU GUYS, THIS WILL BE A GREAT PLACE TO HIDE!"

Eddie pulls Roger away from the peep hole and digs through a tool box. Delores quickly closes the peep hole before some drunk person looked into it and saw us.

I watched Roger swing himself lightly while Eddie still looked for something that'll help him get out of the cuffs.

"I thought you promised that you'll NEVER take another Toon case again!" Delores exclaimed softly to Eddie. "Did you have a sudden change of heart?!"

After Tommy and I exchanged confused looks, I thought,

_What is she talking about?_

"NOTHING'S CHANGED!" Eddie replied. "Somebody's made a patsy out of me and I'm GOING TO FIND OUT WHY!"

Eddie finally takes out a bone saw and sits down on the bed with a wooden crate in front of him. He sets his handcuffed hand down and begins the sawing with Roger standing beside him, watching. The box moved along with Eddie's sawing motions and it didn't look safe or made Eddie's handcuff removal idea easier to get over with.

"HOLD STILL, WILL YA?!" Eddie exclaims to Roger.

Roger looks at Eddie, SLIPS his hand out of the handcuff, and holds the box down.

"Does this help?" He asked.

Eddie says that with Roger holding the box, sawing the handcuff was easier. But when I saw Eddie stop sawing the cuff, which still looks like it's going to take a while to get off; I knew that Roger was in really big trouble. He attempts to make Eddie not angry at him by slipping his hand back in to the cuff but it doesn't seem to work for Eddie.

"Do you mean to tell me that you could've TAKE YOUR HAND OUT OF THAT CUFF AT ANY TIME?!" Eddie exclaimed, angrily.

"No, not at any time." Roger says. "Only when it was funny."

Roger takes off with a short 'P-B-B-B-B' and sits down on a spinning chair with a smile on his face.

"C'mon, Eddie, where's your sense of humor?" Roger asked.

"Is he always this funny or only on days when he's wanted for murder?" Delores asked us with sarcasm.

"My philosophy is this: 'If you don't a sense of humor, you're better off DEAD'!" Roger said.

"That could happen unless we figure out what happened to this!" Eddie said and tossed a piece of paper to Delores.

"What is it?" Roger asked.

Delores unfolds the paper and gives Roger a better view.

"Mr. Acme's will." Roger said.

Tommy and I held down the box for Eddie but I was really nervous with that saw going back and forth in front of my face.

"So, what's the scheme?" Delores asked.

"I don't they got to the will." Eddie said.

"But how do you know?"

"Because they were still looking for it after Marvin Acme was killed." I said.

Delores looks at me in surprise and says, "So, you do talk!"

_Ehh…I'm kind of used to it now. _I thought.

"We don't know where the will is but we think that the murderer is after the will." Tommy said.

"Is there anything I can that I can do?" Delores asked.

Eddie looked at her for a brief second and suggests to Delores that she should go check the probate.

"Yeah, check the probate!" Roger said. "Why, my uncle Thumper had problems with HIS probate and he had to take these BIG PILLS and DRINK LOTS OF WATER!"

Delores, Eddie, Tommy, and I looked at Roger with weird looks on our faces. I was trying to stifle a laugh. I couldn't believe my ears when he mentioned that THUMPER was his uncle. All I can picture now is that adorable little rabbit from _Bambi _moaning and groaning in pain and even taking pills and guzzling down several glasses of water. That's going to scar my mind for the rest of my life!

"NOT 'PROSTATE', you idiot!" Eddie exclaims. "PROBATE!"

"I just thought of something. Do you think that my boss, R.K. Maroon, dropped a safe on Marvin Acme's head so that he can get HIS HANDS ON TOON TOWN?" Roger asked.

The cuff opens up with a CLICK.

"If Roger's not going to do anything crazy," Tommy began. "can he stay here for a couple of days?"

Then, I looked at Roger, who was rubbing a nail file through his ears. It didn't seem to hurt him.

"He can stay but I can't keep an eye on him while I work." Delores said.

"Well, while Eddie, Tommy, and I work on the murder, we can always come back here on a certain time of the day and check on Roger." I said. "I know that if someone is confined in a small room for a long period of time, they can go crazy."

"Beatrice is right and we can't have Roger dragging along with us because one person will have one good look at him and report the police." Tommy said.

Eddie and Delores nod their heads in agreement. Then, Eddie makes a look on his face that tells me that he's up to something.

"You two are coming along with me for a little trip back to the Ink and Paint Club this evening." He said. "Right after it closes; we'll investigate every room and look for clues and maybe the will. Are you two up for the task?"

I glanced at Tommy and then, I nodded my head.

…

Tommy:

"Eddie, I don't know if this is a great idea." I said.

The late night came and Eddie, Beatrice, and I came back to the alley where we took the pictures.

"There are some rules that you have to follow when investigating a case," Eddie said and placed his hat on the window of Jessica's dressing room. "And one of them is that you sometimes have to get out of your comfort zone."

When Eddie smashes his hand in to his hat, the window broke, shattering into pieces. I thought I heard a police siren.

"You ready?" Eddie whispered to me and Beatrice.

Beatrice nodded her head and I nodded anxiously. Beatrice climbs through the window first and I went after her. Eddie climbs up and then, he gets stuck a little bit but he manages to enter the room. But Eddie didn't make a quiet landing and he was kind of whooping up a racket.

"It's awfully dark in here." Beatrice whispered.

"We'll through this room later." Eddie whispered back. "Right now, we've got other rooms to investigate."

Eddie gets back on his feet and opens the door.

There was some light coming but I realized that Eddie, Beatrice, and I were in a whole lot of trouble when Bongo was standing in front of us, growling.

_EXPOSED! _I thought.

"Oh, no." Eddie mumbled in fear.

Bongo growls and his fist comes out of nowhere and I felt a hard punch on my face. Everything went black after hearing two thuds on the floor.


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Tommy:

I saw a tall, skinny, boney figure dressed in black standing over me when my vision was slowly coming back to me. The figure was a tall, skinny, and boney man in all black and was wearing glasses with pretty thin frames.

"Pick them up." He said.

Then, I heard Eddie groaning. I looked up and I saw Bongo carrying Eddie to an empty chair. He did the same to Beatrice. I got up and made an 'X' sign to Bongo. I sat next to Beatrice and I asked her who the man in black was.

"Judge Doom." She mouthed at me.

I saw Judge Doom look through the broken window. He looked like he was slithering towards the window instead of walking. That really scared me. What scared me the most was that Doom's face having the 'Terminator' face, a blank face without a sense of remorse or emotion.

"Wandering around a ladies' dressing with two teenagers, aren't you, Mr. Valiant?" Judge Doom asked. "Tsk, tsk. What on Earth were you looking for in here?"

Beatrice and I jumped in surprise when we heard Jessica's voice. Everyone in the room looked at her while she was crossing her legs and making a pose that'll make this or next year's Miss America look like a pansy.

"Last week, some heavy breather wanted one of my nylons as a souvenir." Jessica said in a tone that I can't even describe.

"Mrs. Rabbit, Eddie wasn't here for nylons or underwear!" I exclaimed. "You probably know really well that he was looking for Marvin Acme's will!"

"Marvin Acme had no will." Judge Doom said. "His estate is under my jurisdiction."

"Oh, there was a will, all right!" Eddie exclaimed and looked at Jessica. "You and R.K. Maroon killed Marvin Acme for it!"

Jessica stands up in anger and places her hands on her hips.

"THAT'S ABSURD!" She exclaimed.

But Eddie doesn't give up.

"Someone else is here, too! And they're looking for that will!" Eddie exclaims again. "Probably one of Maroon's flunkies! My assistants and I would've found the will if that overweight monkey didn't get in the way!"

Bongo charges at Eddie but Judge Doom holds him back with a cane while sitting down on a chair across from Eddie's.

"Easy, Bongo." Doom said. "I would like to ask Mr. Valiant's assistants a couple of questions, if they don't mind."

Beatrice and I exchanged terrified looks.

"You, boy. Why did you and the girl join Mr. Valiant for his search for the will?" He asked me.

I looked at Beatrice and then, I replied with an improvised excuse,

"Mr. Valiant wanted to have a sidekick with him during the search, like Sherlock Holmes. My sister wanted to tag along and we both got the job."

"Is that true, Mr. Valiant?" Doom asked.

"Yes." Eddie replied.

"All right. I'll talk to the boy's sister and see if she can give me an answer." Doom looks at Beatrice and she froze. "Do you know where the rabbit is hiding right now?"

Everyone in the room, including me, stared at Beatrice, waiting for an answer. And I swore that I saw Jessica briefly reveal a sign of concern and sympathy on Beatrice on her face.

"Well?" Doom asked. "Yes or no?"

Beatrice gives Doom a blank look and that sets Bongo off. He grabs her by her tank top and shouts,

"ANSWER THE JUDGE'S QUESTION!"

Beatrice still doesn't answer and Bongo shakes her. I stood up in anger.

"Stop it!" I shouted, angrily. "NOBODY TREATS MY SISTER LIKE THAT!"

"Bongo, let the girl go." Doom said calmly.

"BUT SHE DIDN'T ANSWER YOUR QUESTION!" Bongo exclaimed.

"Just let her go."

Like Smarty did to Beatrice in Eddie's office, Bongo drops Beatrice like she was a rag doll. Beatrice gets up and runs to her chair. I thought I saw Jessica make that same face that I caught for a second.

"If the girl doesn't want to talk, then we'll handle her, the boy, and Mr. Valiant our own way…_down town_." Doom said and flashed a creepy toothy smile at us.

"Down town?" Eddie smiled. "Fine! Let's get a hold of Santino. We'll be more than happy to go downtown."

Doom stops smiling and in a low, creepy, and serious voice, he says,

"Oh, I'm not talking about _that 'down town'. _I'm talking about _down town TOON TOWN._"

Eddie looks at Judge Doom and his smile drops to a look of terror. Beatrice tenses up and I got confused.

_Why would Doom want us to Toon Town? _I thought. _We're not Toons. _

I heard multiple footsteps, crazy high-pitched giggling, and coughing and I knew those sounds. The Toon Patrol was here.

The door opens and Smarty enters with an evil grin on his face. Greasy walks in and he spots Beatrice again. She was sure if he was looking at her or at Jessica.

"We warned you to stay out of this case, Valiant." Smarty said while fixing his pink tie. I didn't notice until now that his tie had a jewel on it. Weird. "We even warned you two," Smarty continued, "but you didn't."

And like the jewel on his tie, one of the black dots in the middle of Smarty's eyes flashed for a second, meaning trouble.

"No, not Toon Town." Eddie pleaded.

Then, he said 'no' twice before letting out a long 'NOOOOOOOOOOO' with the weasels giggling and chuckling in the background.

Stupid and Wheezy bring in three long pieces of rope and made me, Eddie, and Beatrice line up and put our hands behind our backs. I felt the rough grip scratching my wrists and my arms were already getting tired.

"You, girl!" Smarty exclaimed to Beatrice. "Tell us where the rabbit is currently hiding!"

Beatrice, at first, gives Smarty a blank look and then, she frowns a little bit and shakes her head 'no'.

"Hey, Stupid! Hand me the 'faceball' bat without the 'snail' in it! It's time for the broad to sing like a 'coronary'!" Smarty commanded.

"No, son." Judge Doom said. "Take these three to down town Toon Town. Punishment will have to wait."

Smarty commanded Bongo to escort Beatrice to the Toon Patrol car outside and he ordered Psycho, Wheezy, and Stupid to escort me and Eddie. Bongo grabs Beatrice by her tank top and carries her away with Greasy walking beside them.

Before Eddie and I were officially out of the dressing room, I watched Jessica giving us a shocked look on her face while we walked out but didn't do anything to stop the Toon Patrol, Bongo, or Judge Doom.

While walking out, I felt the sharp tip of a pocketknife poking on my spine for a second. I was shuffling behind Eddie and then, we got thrown in the back of the Toon Patrol car once we made it outside. Eddie attempted to escape but surrendered after Smarty pointed his pistol at him. Beatrice was literally thrown in last before Smarty and Greasy closed the doors of the back of the car.

Because of the pitch blackness inside of the back, I couldn't see a thing but I knew that the back was really tight-spaced. I heard the car getting started but the siren wasn't going off. I even heard Eddie breathe hard.

"Are you okay, Eddie?" I asked.

"Not really. Going to Toon Town sounds much scarier than hearing about it." He replied. "How's Beatrice?"

"I'm okay." She said softly.

"Traumatized?"

"Yeah."

Brief pause.

"Here is one thing that I want you two to keep in mind." Eddie said.

"What's that?" I asked.

"The weasels will try to make you trick you when it comes to asking questions. Beatrice, I want you to stay silent, like you usually do. Just try not to say anything. And Tommy, tell them that you don't know anything about Roger's whereabouts. Use improvisation like you did in the office, if you must."

"Okay." Beatrice and I whispered.

….

Beatrice:

After ten minutes felt like forever, the car finally stopped. Before those ten minutes started, I was scared of Bongo and the way that he shook me hard when he picked me up. I was afraid that I was going to throw up. Because of how hard Bongo shook me and not getting a large glass of water, I started to get a headache.

When the back of the car opened up, I was blinded by a bright light and then, my head was covered by something scratchy and smelled like hay in a barn.

_A burlap sack. _I thought. _Seriously, when will blindfolds be used instead of burlap sacks?_

"Ladies first, boss." I heard Greasy said.

_Hey! I'm not a lady! _I exclaimed in my head. _I'm a free-spirited tomboy teenager!_

"C'mon, we don't have all night!" Smarty exclaimed at me.

But I wasn't sure how to get out of the car if I got a burlap sack on my head.

"She can't get out if she's got that sack on her head!" Wheezy exclaimed in a deep voice that surprised me. "I told you that we should've covered their eyes with our hands first and THEN, cover their heads with the sacks."

I think Smarty had lost his patience and I heard him climb in to the back after I heard him groan in frustration. He pushed me and I fell out of the back and landed on my face. The weird thing was that it was a cool summer night and now, it's really warm. I knew that I was in Toon Town with Eddie, Tommy, and the Toon Patrol.

"Somebody pick up the broad!" Smarty exclaimed.

_If you call me that one more time…_I thought because that's probably the third time Smarty's called me that insulting name.

"Here, I'll handle this one." Greasy said. "C'mon, _chica, _I got you."

_What's next? _I thought. _The coat-on-the-puddle routine? Don't even THINK ABOUT THAT!_

I felt Greasy scratchy hands help me get off the ground and when I got back on my feet, he wraps his arm around my waist. I tensed up. I don't feel comfortable at all. I really wanted Greasy to let me go.

I heard Tommy and Eddie getting pushed out of the car and Psycho giggled an insane giggle.

"Let's go!" Smarty said.

I heard the sound of a switchblade (I know what it sounds like, thanks to one of Dad's demonstrations) getting flipped open and I heard Tommy say 'Ow', indicating that he just got poked by the tip of the blade.

I walked along with Eddie and Tommy, even with Greasy's arm around my waist. The shuffling of our feet on the concrete and the multiple lefts and rights felt like time was going slowly. I heard the sound of cartoon traffic happen and unidentified conversations were present.

That's when I noticed the temperature change again. It was really warm and now it was back to the cool summer night.

_Why is the temperature constantly changing? _I thought. _I don't think I keep up with the feelings of hot and cold if they're constantly changing._

I felt Greasy's arm getting off my waist and I thought that I would be free from his grasp. But then, I heard the sound of his coat making a flapping noise (that noise that a coat makes when there's a hard wind blowing) and I knew that he was going to—

"_Una bella muchacha no debería estar en el frío como éste._" Greasy said to me. "_Aquí está mi abrigo."_

IS GREASY COMPLETELY IGNORING THE FACT THAT I CAN'T UNDERSTAND OR SPEAK SPANISH?!

"Beatrice, Greasy says that he thinks that you shouldn't be in the cold and he's…letting you borrow his coat." Tommy said.

_WHAT?! I'M NOT EVEN—_

That thought was interrupted when I felt Greasy's scratchy and heavy coat on my shoulders. He really shouldn't treat a prisoner, like me, for now, like this. A police man doesn't give a criminal anything, like a coat, when they're cold.

"We're here." Smarty said.

The shuffling on concrete transformed into hollow clip-clops on wood. I knew that we have arrived at a building.

The door opens with a click and a squeaky and Greasy's coat was lifted off my shoulders. I was forced to walk inside with Eddie and Tommy. The burlap sack was pulled off my head.

I was in a small waiting room with Tommy, Eddie, and the Toon Patrol. The walls had cracks and the paint job was really lousy. I found an ash tray with a big pile of cigarette ashes. There was another door and I didn't know where it led.

I saw Eddie and Tommy getting moved around and I was pushed in between them. We were in a single file line.

Eddie had a blank look on his face and I probably guessed that he didn't want to encourage the Weasels' love of fright. Tommy looked kind of scared and I was tense.

"What is this place?" Tommy asked.

"If you must know, this place is our 'leadquarters'." Smarty snapped.

_IT'S 'HEADQUARTERS'! _I shouted in my mind.

After putting down their weapons, four members of the Toon Patrol lined up like they were a group of soldiers, except they didn't look serious and didn't even think about standing straight. While Smarty talked to the four members, he would walk in a straight line to his left, stop, and turn around and walked to his right. This cycle repeats a few times.

"I want these three fugitives placed in separate rooms. While I go pick up some things, figure out which room is appropriate for our 'printers' and try to get them to talk, especially the broad. Talk to Valiant, then the boy, and finally, try to get the broad to start 'spelling' information." Smarty said.

_Stop calling me that, you meathead! _I thought. _It's not 'spelling', it's 'spilling'!_

Smarty stops his walking pattern and gives the other Toon Patrol members full eye contact.

"Any questions?" Smarty asked.

Stupid raises his hand but Smarty ignores him. He leaves us and I didn't want to be separated from Tommy and Eddie. I don't want to be left with Greasy or Psycho. I know that they'll try to do many inappropriate things to get me talking.

"Remember what I told you! DON'T TELL THEM ANYTHING!" Eddie called me as he is guided away from me and Tommy by Wheezy and they disappear in to the room that I had questions about.

Tommy attempts to escape but Stupid and Psycho guide him away to the same room.

"Looks like it's just you and me, for now." Greasy purred. "Come this way."

I refused to walk towards the door but Greasy thought that I wanted to enter the room first and he opened the door for me.

"Go ahead." He said. "You'll be all right."

Thanks to many books, I knew that I couldn't trust a weasel, especially if it goes by the name 'Greasy'. Weasels are well known for their deceitfulness, cheating, back-stabbing, and even have a group of cronies. You can never trust a weasel. They claim to be friends but all they ever do is lead you to more trouble.

Anyway, I reluctantly entered the room and I knew that I was going towards my fate after hearing the door lock. I was walking down a hallway with many rooms and a dirty carpet.

While I walked, I noticed how Greasy walked. When Greasy walks with his hands in his trouser pockets, he walks like a duck. As he continues to walk like a duck, the upper half of his body sways side to side like he was a snake. I think I saw Greasy walk like that when I saw him at the Acme Factory, walking like he was a combination of a duck and a snake.

After a couple of minutes of walking, Greasy took me to a small room with random objects scattered around and a piano pressed against the wall. I heard the sound of the switchblade getting flipped open.

"It's all right, _cariño. _Just hold still." Greasy said.

_Wait. What are you-? _I thought.

Then, I heard the rope snap.

"_Adios_ until later, _cariño._" Greasy said and then closed the door and locked it.


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Beatrice:

As I heard Greasy lock the door, two words flashed in my mind: "I'm" and "doomed". I started thinking about how I'm probably not going to celebrate my seventeenth birthday because I probably might die tonight. I probably might be tortured to death by five toon weasels and Tommy might go on with his life without me. If I die tonight, then I'm going to list the people that I've interacted with:

**Tommy**, my brother, obviously. He's been my voice since I stopped talking three years ago. I am really glad that he's been right beside me and help me in times of trouble.

**Eddie Valiant**, once a legendary private detective, now an asinine man with a drinking problem and doesn't like to be around Toons, especially Roger. I helped Eddie out a little bit when Roger got framed and it looks like he's been proud of me, like Dad is when I come back home from winning a tennis match. Although Eddie hides the appreciation, I know that deep down, he is proud of me and Tommy. Even though I did have a one or two heated arguments with Eddie, we still cooperated.

**Delores**, a waitress who probably has her eyes on Eddie. Even though she doesn't seem to think that solving a mystery is too big of a job for me and Tommy, Delores was still a huge help. I would like to thank her for helping me, Tommy, and Eddie hide Roger.

**Roger Rabbit**, a silly toon rabbit who knows the true meaning of entertainment and justice. I love his 'P-b-b-b-lease' and his 'P-B-B-B-B-B-B'. Those two sounds seem to crack me up. I hope that Roger will have his name cleared, even if I might not be beside him when he needs help.

**Jessica Rabbit**, a lady who'll probably be the next Miss America. Although I don't know her, I just hope that she was telling the truth about not killing Acme and I also hope that her relationship with Roger will continue to work out.

**Baby Herman**, a fifty-year-old man stuck in a toddler's body. Despite of his attitude, his love for women and cigars, Baby Herman did an excellent job on pointing out Marvin Acme's will. Eddie, Tommy, and I wouldn't have started the investigation without him.

**Judge Doom**, an evil man with a Terminator face and doesn't even blink for a second. I don't know what he'll think about me but I still believe that he'll be smiling his creepy, toothy smile when he's torturing somebody or finding the will, if he could get his hands on it.

**Smarty**, the leader of the Toon Patrol. I don't think he'll work on his malapropism problem, even when I'm gone (if that part will be possible.). I'll, forevermore, be offended by being called a 'broad' by him.

…and **Greasy**, Smarty's second-in-command who has his eyes on me. I am deeply frustrated with him because he completely ignores the fact that I can't speak or even understand Spanish and he acts too much like a gentleman during every inappropriate time.

Well, that's my list of people. But before I wait for my possible demise, I thought that I would play just one song on the piano.

I pressed the keys on the piano to see if they worked. The nice repetitive sound of the 'do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do' was literally music to my ears. One of the things that I usually like to do if I don't want to draw, read a book, or watch TV and if I'm stressed out, I play the piano. I mean, as soon as I play the first verse of a song, I am not stressed out anymore and I continue to play. I even memorized the songs that I've played and I can still play them flawlessly, even after not playing the piano for a while.

Anyway, I pulled out a chair and thought of a song to play. I know a couple of Michael Jackson songs but I don't think that they'll be appropriate in this situation that I'm in right now.

That's when a song hits me. _Will The Sun Ever Shine Again _by Bonnie Raitt. Since I don't know if I will die tonight, it seems that the song will probably express my loss of hope that I'm dealing right now. This was Kaitlin's favorite song to play with me whenever she had the time.

I cracked my knuckles and I began to play the slow introduction.

Then, in my head, I sung the lyrics while hitting the keys,

_Rain is pourin' down like the heavens are hurtin',_

_ Seems like it's been dark since the Devil knows when._

_ How do you go on, never knowin' for certain,_

_ Will the sun ever shine again?_

I felt tears getting ready to stream down but I continued to play.

_Feels like it's been dark since it started to thunder._

_ Clouds are campin' out in the valley and glen._

_ How do you go on when you can't help but wonder,_

_ 'Will the sun ever shine again'?_

I hit the wrong key after feeling something sharp poking my back. Immediately, my tears disappeared and I go from depressed and sad to surprised and alert. I knew that it was Psycho when I heard his high-pitched 'hee-hee.' I never heard the door unlock or open and I didn't even notice Psycho coming in. I was really scared.

"Time to meet the boss, girly!" Psycho exclaimed.

"Not yet, Psycho!" I heard Smarty shouted. "The broad will have to wait!"

_STOP CALLING ME A BROAD, YOU MEATHEAD! _I shouted in my head.

"C'mon, Psycho!" Greasy called. "Senior Valiant first, then the _niña's _brother, and after him, we'll talk to the _niña _herself!"

I turned around and I saw Psycho, with an old-fashioned barber's razor in his hand, walk to the door as if he was following a trail of tape in a zig-zag line on the floor. After that, I turned back to the piano and played where I left off.

_What if the rain keeps fallin'?_

_ What if the sky stays gray?_

_ What if the wind keeps squallin',_

_ And never go away?_

I took a deep breath and continued.

_Maybe soon the storm will be tired of blowin'._

_ Maybe soon it all will be over, amen._

_ How do you go on if—_

All of the sudden, I heard a wrong key getting hit and I stopped.

_I remember the song and the keys…_I thought…_.But who just hit the wrong key?_

"You're awfully good at playing the piano." I heard Greasy said. I even noticed that he's put on some strong cologne. Seriously, how long is he going to keep up with being fancy when he's around me? And how did he come in the room so quickly and quietly without catching my attention.

"You sad about something?" Greasy asked me.

I shook my head.

_No…_I thought.

Then, I felt Greasy's scratchy finger rubbing upwards and then, his finger moves away when he got it a little too close to my eye. I looked at what he was doing when he pulled his finger away. He was examining…my teardrop? I thought I stopped crying just a few seconds ago.

"You are sad about something…Beatrice." Greasy said. "I know when a woman is sad and you're showing the signs of sadness."

_I knew it._ I thought. _Greasy has an appetite for ladies._

"Will you tell me why you're sad and why you don't talk like your brother and Senior Valiant?" Greasy asked.

_Does Greasy really want to know why I don't talk?_ I thought._ Does he really want to know why I'm sad? It feels like I'm talking to two Greasys. Should I talk to the Greasy who's been acting like a gentleman…or 'gentle-weasel' during inappropriate times, or the Greasy who takes advantage of women by pretending to listen to their concerns and not show any sympathy afterword? _

I attempted to open my mouth to something but then, I stopped and thought,

…_No. I can't trust a weasel. I can't and I probably never will. _

"If you don't want to talk about it, then that's all right." Greasy said. "But the reason why I came here is because Boss is ready for you now. He just couldn't make up his mind and it was because your brother isn't giving the answers my boss wants. Your brother says that he won't talk unless you're in the room with him."

I held my hands out, ready for them to get tied up again.

"No, those soft hands of yours have to wait until we get with the boss." Greasy said.

_Okay. _I thought. _Then, show me the way._

…..

Tommy:

The interrogation didn't go well with me. Smarty was constantly asking me about Roger's whereabouts and why I was with Eddie and Beatrice in Jessica's dressing room. All I said to him was that I wasn't going to talk without Beatrice. And now, here I am, tied to a chair and sitting next to Eddie in the waiting room of the Toon Patrol headquarters. My arms are falling asleep and the bruises on my face hurt.

After Smarty told Greasy to get Beatrice, he went to the phone and called in two more persons or weasels that go by the names "Slimy" and "Flasher". When I heard Flasher's name, I don't even want to know why he's named that. I don't know why Smarty called in these two weasels but I knew that things aren't going to go well when they arrive.

"Eddie," I whispered. "Do you know any weasels that are named 'Slimy' and or 'Flasher'?"

Eddie looked at me and nodded.

"If I remembered correctly, Slimy and Flasher are two crazy cousins from Psycho's family. They live in the very far part of the outskirts of Toon Town." He explained. "I don't know them very well but they're certainly trouble."

But it didn't take long for Psycho's two crazy cousins to show up suddenly. When I saw the door open up, I saw a board with some rope and a small washcloth dangling from a small hole in the board. I noticed that green slime was dripping down and I had a feeling that it was Slimy right there.

Eddie and I got a good look at Flasher and Slimy.

Flasher wore a dirty brown trench coat and had spats tied to his ankles and they looked worn. He even had a green cap on his head. When I heard him say something that I didn't catch, his voice was a combination of Riff-Raff and Eddie's voice from _Rocky Horror Picture Show _with a hint of high-pitch in it.

Slimy had dark blue fur and wore a white tank top and a black letterman-like jacket. The whites of his eyes are green instead of the typical white. Slimy's hair kind of looked like a pompadour and was really shiny. I noticed that he had green slime running down his arm. When he said 'Excuse me', Slimy's voice was kind of sounded like Dr. Frank N. Furter from _Rocky Horror _and Wheezy's raspy voice mixed together. He looked nasty.

"Hey, Smarty!" Slimy called with slime oozing out of his mouth. That has got to be the most disgusting thing that I've ever seen.

"We're here with the water board!" Flasher exclaimed.

I gasped. Waterboarding.

I heard Dad's voice saying, "Waterboarding is a dangerous torture technique once used by police officers when they would display brutality. A person would be tied on to a board and have a washcloth on their face. Another person would dump water on the person's face and they would keep doing that until the person on the board has a confession or drowns. Never do that to anybody!"

When I heard the door that took me to my room open, Greasy and Beatrice walk in. Beatrice sees me and hugs me. I knew that she was scared that something bad happened to me when she saw the bruises.

"You didn't talk, did you?" I whispered.

Beatrice shook her head.

"All right, you broad." Smarty said to Beatrice. "You're with your brother and Valiant. I want you to sit down and 'corroborate' with us."

Beatrice frowns at Smarty and sits down on an empty chair in between me and Valiant.

"Release the boy and tie him to the board!" Smarty commanded the other weasels.

Eddie and Beatrice gasp in shock. I gasped, too. I'm the one that's going to get tortured and Beatrice knows that I'm about to be in a session of waterboarding.

"Aren't you going to say something, you broad?" Smarty exclaimed at Beatrice.

Now I see where this is going. I was going to be tortured until Beatrice says something. This is really cruel.

Psycho laughs with glee and he cuts the ropes off my wrists. Slimy and Flasher prepare the ropes while Stupid and Wheezy guided me to the board. Eddie tried everything to make the weasels change their minds but they refused to back down.

While lying down on the board, Slimy tightened the ropes, leaving my hands and feet stuck. Then, a washcloth is placed on my face.

"This is your last chance, you broad!" Smarty snapped at Beatrice and I heard the sound of a switchblade getting flipped open. "Why were you in Jessica Rabbit's dressing room?"

Then, there was a pause and then, I heard Beatrice spit and Smarty exclaim in disgust. Beatrice had spit a weasel in the face. That took guts.

"All right, Slimy." Smarty said. "Do your job!"

This is it. This is where Thomas J. Birchwood dies of waterboarding before turning seventeen. I don't want to die this way.

I heard the weasels clamoring and laughing in evil and I was prepared to feel the cold water getting dumped on to my face until I heard an angry and frightened…

"STOP! STOP IT! LEAVE TOMMY ALONE!"

I swear, when Beatrice finally spoke up in front of the Toon Patrol, every weasel dropped their weapon in shock. I felt like one of those people who nearly got hit by a dangerous weapon and passed out in relief.


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

**(*Hey, y'all, this is imaginarytoon1. This chapter will have constant switches of the characters' points of view. I'm just letting you, the reader, know ahead before reading.**

**imaginarytoon1, over and out! ****)**

**Tommy**:

After the washcloth was lifted off my head, I looked at every weasel that was in the room with me, Beatrice, and Eddie. They all have faces of shock after hearing Beatrice shout. Thank goodness, my life is saved. Beatrice looks at Eddie and says to him, "Sorry, Eddie." He mutters something about doing the same.

"Now that you're talking, I want know where you live." Smarty said. "Because I notice that you dress funny."

"Says the guy who's wearing a pink zoot suit." Beatrice said.

I heard snickering and then, I heard Greasy laughing. After Greasy started laughing, all of the other weasels, except for Smarty, laughed. I thought it was funny too. Smarty frowned and opened his switchblade.

"Look, Needle Nose," Eddie said. "You wanted the girl to talk and you've got your answer."

"That's not what I wanted!" Smarty exclaimed and told Beatrice, "Tell me why you have that accent! You talk weird."

"Says the guy who has a malapropism problem." Beatrice said.

Then, every weasel, except for Smarty, lets out a collective 'ooh' and more laughter. Beatrice was on a roll.

"All right, you broad." Smarty said. "Enough with that! I would've 'murmured' you right now but…I'm not going to that and we're all dying to know WHY you don't talk!"

Beatrice looks at something in front of her. She wasn't looking at Smarty and I think she was staring at the main door. It was still opened and none of the weasels seem to notice. I knew that Beatrice was up to something.

"Well, tells us why you don't talk!" Smarty demanded.

Beatrice stands up in her chair and says,

"You…are too…SOF-FFF-FFF-FT!"

Then, Beatrice takes off running. She was almost caught by the weasels but she makes it out the door.

"SLIMY! FLASHER! GO AFTER THE BROAD AND BRING HER BACK!" Smarty exclaimed.

Slimy and Flash run after Beatrice. I thought that they were immediately going to bring back Beatrice in as soon as they left the door. But I figured that it was going to take some time because Beatrice is a fast runner. She can outrun an angry dog and I think she can outrun two toon weasels.

"We forgot to tell Beatrice where she should meet us if she escapes, which has already happened." Eddie whispered to me.

"I think Beatrice will probably hide in the secret room in the Terminal Station with Roger." I whispered back.

"If the weasels find Beatrice sleeping in my office, they would bring her back in."

"I don't think that it's going to be a problem."

"How so?"

"Beatrice has two choices when it comes to night time. She can either sleep on her bed or in a tree."

"Why would she be in a tree?" Eddie asked.

"Since Beatrice is a tomboy, she likes sleeping in trees." I replied. "I found her sleeping on a tree branch one night and she didn't seem to mind."

"I surely hope that she doesn't hurt herself or get caught."

"I hope so, too."

Then, Smarty turns towards me and Eddie.

"We gave you many chances but you didn't give us the answers that we wanted for the rabbit's whereabouts!" Smarty said, angrily.

"If you're desperate for an answer, then I'll give you mine." I said. "I don't know where Roger is. He's probably out of the state right now."

"That's not a good answer. The rabbit is still probably hiding in somewhere in Hollywood."

Then, Slimy and Flasher came in. Flasher is completely out of breath and Slimy was covered with his green slime. Really disgusting.

"Well, where's the broad?" Smarty exclaimed.

"She's outrun us, boss." Slimy said.

"Too…fast…for us." Flasher gasped.

Smarty sighed in disappointment and gathered up the other weasels.

"Now we have another fugitive on our hands, boys." He said to them. "We aren't going to worry about her right now. We'll look for later. Let's get 'smackin' on Valiant and the boy."

"What are you going to do?" Eddie asked, anxiously.

The weasels look at me and Eddie. They all smiled at us, evilly. Out of thin air, just an old Toon trick, they pulled out paintbrushes and opened cans of paint.

…

Greasy:

_Antes de que comenzara el trabajo de pintura de la tortura en Eddie y su hermano de la niña, no pude dejar de pensar en la chica. Admiro mucho a ella y por la forma en que ..._What I'm saying is this:

Before I began the paint job torture on Eddie and the girl's brother, I couldn't help but think about the girl. I really admire her and by the way she teased Boss. I've never seen a girl do that.

Sure, the girl's got a weird taste in clothes, her hair is really frizzy, and she talks funny but I like her! Her hair smells like my _abuela's _soap. I know because when the girl…what's her name? Oh, yeah! Beatrice! Beatrice…played the piano, I pretended that I left the room, snuck behind her, and sniffed her hair. After that, I watched her play the piano.

I was surprised when I heard the girl talk and I did laugh so hard that I nearly died laughing. I never saw a girl like Beatrice spit a guy in the face. Not a typical girl.

…..

Beatrice:

I woke up in exhaustion and with an excruciating headache after thinking that an alarm clock went off in my head. Thank goodness that I escaped the Toon Patrol HQ. With the help of some Toons who have been walking around Toon Town, I managed to make it out and come back to the real world. I was really tired and my headache was getting worse so I had to look for some place to hide and sleep. It was actually really easy after finding a good tree with a thick branch. It was at least fifteen feet off of the ground and the tree was over the tunnel of Toon Town.

Thanks to a thick tree branch that I hid on and slept on last night, the two weasels, Slimy and Flasher, I believe, lost track of me and left. Since I was so tired and a little dehydrated, I decided to take it easy until the morning, blending in with the thick leaves on the branch and wait for Eddie and Tommy to show up. While I tried to sleep, I imagined _Smooth Criminal _playing my head because I felt like I was in so much trouble.

Anyway, it's morning. I decided that I had to climb down the tree carefully without anybody questioning me. Then, I stopped after hearing the weasels laughing and I heard Psycho squeal something about a pig. I hid behind the leaves and I watched the entrance.

All of the sudden, I heard Eddie scream and I saw him fly out of the tunnel with a huge burlap sack over his head. Then, I heard Tommy scream and saw him fly out of the tunnel, also with a burlap sack on his head. They both landed on the ground with a THUD. Why do their heads suddenly look larger? While still hiding, I watched carefully.

I saw the weasels walk out of the tunnel and I noticed that a couple of them were carrying paintbrushes. Psycho was also carrying a bucket…of paint?

"Stubborn boys, eh, boss?" Greasy asked while struggling not to laugh.

Smarty smiles and says,

"_Pig-headed,_ I should say. I suppose that Valiant and the broad's brother got the message."

While Smarty, Wheezy, Psycho, and Stupid disappeared in to the tunnel and laughed, Greasy stayed behind. He cups his hands around his mouth and shouts, in Spanish,

"_Mi niña, si está escondido en esta área, quiero que sepas que el Sr. Valiant y su hermano están bien! Se ha hecho un poco de pintura hecho_!"

After shouting that, Greasy disappears into the tunnel. With caution and speed, I climbed down the tree and approached Eddie and Tommy.

"Beatrice," Tommy calls. "If you're out here, Greasy says that if you're out here, then you mustn't worry about me and Eddie. We're all right, he says, and we just ourselves a…paint job done!"

Tommy yelled so loudly that it made my headache worse.

"Tommy, I'm right here!" I said.

"Whoa! Where did you come from?" Tommy asked.

"I was sleeping in a tree above the tunnel."

"Will you help me get this sack off my head?!" Eddie exclaimed in frustration and terror.

Eddie leaned down in front of me and I pull the sack off of him. When Eddie leans back, I gasped in horror, drop the sack and screamed for a second.

"What?!" Tommy exclaimed.

"Eddie, you…you…you have A PIG MASK PAINTED ON YOUR HEAD!" I exclaimed.

"REALLY?!" Eddie exclaimed.

I saw Tommy take off his sack and he, too, had pig mask on his head like Eddie's. Both he and Tommy got a good look at each other and screamed in horror. When they screamed, I screamed, too.

"We've been TOON-AROONED!" Eddie exclaimed and ran.

Tommy and I ran after Eddie. I never knew that Eddie could run that fast. When we got to town, Eddie told me to go get Delores and see if she can help him and Tommy at his office.

It didn't take long for me to find Delores. She was just walking out of a small building while wearing a fancy outfit and hat.

"Delores! Thank goodness, I found you!" I cried.

"What's going on?" Delores asked in a mildly surprised tone.

"It's Eddie and Tommy. It's kind of a long story and you'll find out for yourself!"

Delores nods.

While walking to Eddie's office, she tells me to go back to the secret room and keep an eye on Roger.

When I arrived, the dirty guy that Tommy and I met (while looking for Eddie) asked me if Delores is coming back to get him his drink. I told him that she will be back shortly and I disappeared into the secret room.

"Roger?" I asked. "It's me, Beatrice. Are you doing okay?"

Silence.

"Roger?"

Then, all of the sudden, I heard a small creak. I turned around and I saw Roger, who was waking up from his sleeping state on a small bed. When he saw me, Roger immediately acted like that he just guzzled down a giant bottle of Dr. Pepper, being happy and hyperactive.

"Good morning!" Roger said, joyfully.

"How are you doing?" I asked, slightly nervously.

"I am so bored! I really want to go outside."

Uh oh, boredom is already hitting Roger.

"I know that you do but with Judge Doom and the Toon Patrol looking for you and Marvin Acme's will, you will have to stay." I said.

Roger gave me a small pout on his face. Then, I realized that I escaped the Toon Patrol HQ and I'm also considered a fugitive.

"I probably might have to go in hiding, too." I mumbled.

Roger sits up gives me a curious look. I briefly explained to him about how my first try of looking for Acme's will went wrong and I immediately didn't say anything else after explaining.

…..

Tommy:

"Mr. Valiant?" A female voice called to Eddie softly. "Mr. Valiant?"

I quickly put on my clothes after scrubbing the pig mask off my head. Eddie walks out of the bathroom with his up. I walked behind him and I saw Jessica, who was holding a mirror in one hand and holding a small tube of lipstick in the other.

I frowned at her.

"How come you didn't do anything to stop the Toon Patrol from carrying us out last night?" I asked, angrily. "You were watching Beatrice get picked up and tossed to the floor like a rag doll. Despite of your brief looks of concern and sympathy, you didn't do anything. Why?"

"I know what you and Mr. Valiant are thinking, boy." Jessica said. "But you two got the wrong idea about me. I'm a pawn in this just like Roger. Can you two help me find him?"

Eddie and I give Jessica puzzled stares while she applies a heavy re-coat of red lipstick.

"Just name your price and I'll pay it." Jessica said.

"I bet you would pay it." Eddie said, semi-bitterly. "You probably want the rabbit to make this scam work."

I expected Jessica to exclaim something in anger but instead, she gently sets down the mirror and looks at Eddie.

"No, no, no. I truly love my husband." Jessica said with her voice breaking a little bit. "You both got me all wrong." She walks in an exaggerated hip-swaying walk with her purple-gloved hands on her hips. "You don't know how hard it is being a woman…looking the way I do."

Jessica stops walking and starts doing a pose that made me look at her pretty weirdly. She ignores the look on my face.

"Well, uh…" Eddie said, like he was in a trance. "…you don't know how hard it is being a man…looking at a woman…looking the way that you do."

"I'm not bad…" Jessica said. "…I'm just drawn that way."

…..

Beatrice:

"Beatrice, I have a question for you." Roger said.

I just stared at the wall blankly.

"Why do you not talk as much as Eddie or Tommy…or-or-or anybody else?" He asked anyway.

_Does he really want to know? _I thought. _Does Roger truly and really do?_

I looked at him with a sad look.

"Do you really want to know?" I asked him.

Roger nods his head.

…..

Tommy:

"But tell me." Jessica said with a hint of seriousness in her voice. "Is the girl that you were sitting with last night your sister?"

"Yes, she is." I replied, carefully. "Her name is Beatrice Birchwood. I'm Tommy, by the way."

"What exactly are you thinking about Beatrice?" Eddie asked.

"I admit making faces of sympathy and concern at her last night and I want to know why she doesn't talk." Jessica replied.

"Why?" I asked.

Jessica looked at me.

"Your sister reminded me of my younger self when I was her age. I didn't like to talk to people before and I'm sure your sister has a reason." She said.

…..

Beatrice:

"All right, I'll tell you." I said with a bit of reluctance. "I never told anybody, not even Tommy, why I don't speak. You're the first, Roger."

Roger looked at me and as I began to explain, I imagined _Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning_ (by Alan Jackson) playing in my head.

"I had this best friend a long time ago and her name was Kaitlin. She was one of my best friends ever since we learned how to tie our shoes…"

…..

Tommy:

"Beatrice never told me the real reason why she doesn't talk to the people that she would usually talk to. I knew that our mother would often put her down and give bad advice but I thought that it was something else." I said.

"And what's that?" Eddie and Jessica asked in unison.

"I thought that it was one of Beatrice's best friends, Kaitlin, who probably had something to do with it…"

…..

Beatrice:

"…Kaitlin and I would always hang out after school and during summer vacation as we grew up. Whenever one of us had a problem, we would always have each other's backs and we were like two peas in a pod. When I turned thirteen, Kaitlin began to change…"

…..

Tommy:

"…Beatrice used to hang out with Kaitlin whenever she would have the time. They teach each other something new every time, as I noticed. Kaitlin taught Beatrice how to braid strings into a necklace and Beatrice taught Kaitlin how to climb trees…and all that jazz."

"Best friends 'til the end, huh?" Eddie asked.

"Yes, it was something like that. Because of the friendship, Beatrice was very outspoken and very spunky. As I continued to watch Beatrice and Kaitlin, I noticed that Beatrice wasn't hanging out with Kaitlin as much after turning thirteen. I even heard Beatrice tell our dad that Kaitlin was changing, too. I knew that something was wrong…"

…..

Beatrice:

"…Kaitlin was facing a lot of problems. She told me that her parents were having a bunch of disagreements in her home and were planning on having a divorce. Because of the pressure and the stress, Kaitlin started doing things that she wouldn't normally do and even tried hanging out with the wrong crowd. She was even caught stealing a teacher's purse after class one day. Even when I tried giving her some time on her own and hanging out with her more, Kaitlin was always in stress. Then, one day, that one day that had scarred my memory, changed me completely…"

…..

Tommy:

"…Beatrice would come home with a look on her face that I can't even describe. I even noticed that Beatrice was slowly deciding if she wanted to stop talking. Then, one evening, Beatrice came back home with tears running down her face."

"What happened?" Eddie asked. "Did Beatrice have a fight with Kaitlin?"

"No, Kaitlin would never fight with Beatrice because that wasn't a part of her behavior." I replied. "When I asked Beatrice why she was sad, she didn't tell me. When I thought about Kaitlin, the only thought that came into my mind was Kaitlin moving away to another home…"

…..

Beatrice:

"What happened? Did Kaitlin move to another home?" Roger asked after I tried to control myself after feeling my teardrops getting ready to leak out of my eyes.

"No, Roger." I said, sniffling. "Kaitlin didn't move away."

…..

"I was about to walk home from a city park and Kaitlin was about to go home, too. And since I was her best friend and thought for her safety, I offered to walk Kaitlin home. She declined and said that she can handle herself walking on her own. I got worked up with Kaitlin and by the way she wasn't letting me help her. I told her if she doesn't want me to help her, then she was on her own. I walked away, hoping that Kaitlin was thinking that she was proud of herself, and then, I heard a loud noise."

I sniffled and started crying.

Roger puts his hand on my shoulder.

"Take your time, Beatrice. Take your time." He said.

I took a couple of deep breaths and continued.

…

Tommy:

"Beatrice still didn't tell me why she doesn't talk and our mom started to be mean to her. After the harsh verbal treatment, Beatrice lost her ability to speak to people and I became her voice." I finished.

"So Beatrice stopped talking after her friend moved possibly moved away?" Jessica asked.

"That's just about it."

"Oh, okay. I want you tell your sister that whenever I had a hard time talking to people, just like her, I found my miracle of speaking again after working in the Ink and Paint Club."

"I'll tell her that once I see her."

…..

Beatrice:

"…I found Kaitlin, lying in a pool of blood on the park ground while holding a gun in her hand. She killed herself. After seeing Kaitlin like that, I didn't know what to do. I didn't tell the police, my parents, or Tommy about her death and it affected me. I stopped talking to people and I lost interest in everything and I isolated myself from everyone, except Tommy, who became my voice. Every day, I would lie down on my bed, regretting my last words that I said to Kaitlin and even wonder if I did the wrong thing." I finished.

I broke down and apologized to Roger for telling my sad reason why I don't talk to people.

…

Tommy:

"Delores should be arriving anytime now. Tommy, would you run downstairs and see if Delores has arrived yet?" Eddie asked me.

"Uh, yeah, sure." I said.

I walked out of the office and went downstairs. As soon as I made it down, I saw Delores.

"Hey, Delores." I said.

"Tommy, are you and Eddie all right? I came here because your sister told me that you and Eddie needed help and I just stopped by the probate with some news that Eddie needs to hear." Delores said with a little bit of panic in her voice.

"Yeah, Eddie and I are all right. We just had a paint job done by the weasels. Eddie just sent me down here to see if you were coming. He's in his office right now."

Delores immediately walked upstairs and I trailed behind her. I heard Jessica say to Eddie, "Can't you see how much I need you?" After saying that, Delores and I walked in the room with shock and surprise. Jessica had her arms around Eddie, with a shirt on and his pants were down to his ankles.

"Dabbing in watercolors, Eddie?" Delores asked, trying to pull herself together.

Eddie looked down at his pants and pulled them up. Jessica walks away from Eddie and then, before walking more, she turns to Eddie.

"Goodbye, boys. My offer stands firm. Think about it." Jessica said and blew kisses at me and Eddie. The kisses flutter across the room in different directions like butterflies and each kiss landed on one of our cheeks with a SMACK.

After Jessica exits the office, Delores snaps and walks towards Eddie in anger and possibly jealousy.

"Do you want to tell me why she has her arms around you?!" Delores cried and pulls the kiss off of Eddie's cheek.

"Probably looking for a good place to stick a knife." Eddie replied.

"OH, COME ON, EDDIE! I CAUGHT YOU WITH YOUR PANTS DOWN!"

Delores storms out of the office and probably not in the mood of telling Eddie about what she heard from the probate.


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

**(Hey, y'all, this is imaginarytoon1. Obviously, you know me, but I wanted to let you know that in this chapter, the character points of view won't constantly switch like the previous chapter. Again, I'm letting you, the reader, know before reading.**

**-imaginarytoon1)**

Tommy:

Eddie and I ran downstairs and caught up with Delores, who was about to cross the street and head inside the bar.

"Delores, I didn't know what Eddie was doing with Jessica. He didn't tell me what was going to happen!" I exclaimed.

Delores continues to walk away.

"Come on, Delores!" Eddie exclaimed. "You don't believe that a woman like Jessica wouldn't turn my head. She's trying get her hands on the rabbit!"

"That's not all she's trying to get her hands on!" Delores snapped.

She tries to walk away but Eddie stops her and says,

"Listen, I want you to go buy yourself a new swimsuit because you and me are going to Catalina. I think I'm on the verge of wrapping up this case!"

_Seriously, Eddie, this is not a good time right now to discuss about a trip somewhere. _I thought. _And I think Delores has something to say._

As if Delores was on cue after my last thought, she replies to Eddie while fixing the collar on his shirt,

"I just came by to tell you that I stopped by the probate. Maroon's not after Toon Town, like you thought. It's Cloverleaf that want to get their hands on Toon Town. They put in the highest bid. It is also stated that if Acme's will doesn't show up by midnight TONIGHT, CLOVERLEAF IS GOING TO OWN TOON TOWN!"

I look at a sign that was hanging on top of the Terminal Station. In a bold text, the sign said 'CLOVERLEAF'. I am going to guess that Cloverleaf is a transit company or another trolley system with more advanced accessories…or something like that.

But I can't believe that Cloverleaf will own Toon Town if Acme's will doesn't show up by much later tonight.

While Eddie and Delores are discussing over the things that have been happening, I heard loud, jingly, upbeat music playing from inside the bar. I thought I was imagining things.

"I don't get it." I heard Eddie said.

"Shh!" Delores said and listened.

I listened with her. I wasn't imagining that music was playing! It's actually playing!

"ROGER!" Eddie and I exclaimed in unison.

Delores, Eddie, and I ran across the street and up the stairs. The music grew louder and louder and the lyrics were becoming more clear.

"_Oh, 'Roger' is my name,_

_Laughter is my game!_

_C'mon, cowpoke, it's just a joke!_

_Don't sit there on your brain_!"

When Eddie, Delores, and I entered the bar, many men were gathered up around the counter, watching Roger dancing, and not noticing Beatrice, who was doing hand motions that are meant to say 'Hush up! We don't want to attract any more attention'.

"Nice shirt! Who's your tailor? Quasimodo?" Roger joked.

While Roger does another entertaining but improvised dance, he sings,

"_My buddy's Eddie V,_

_A sourpuss, you'll see._

_But when I'm done,_

_He'll need no gun,_

'_Cause a joker he will be…_"

While Roger continues, he stops by this one guy and SPINS his hairpiece for entertainment.

"…_C, D, E, F, G, H, I, _

_Iiii…love to raise some cain!_

_Believe me, it's no strain…_"

Roger dances towards a huge stack of plates and…

"_It feels so great to smash a plate,_

_And look , there is no pain_!"

Roger grabs a plate, smashes it on his head, and says 'No pain'. He does it over and over while the record player (that was playing the song) keeps going back to the same part over and over.

Eddie loses it and stops the record. He grabs Roger by the ears and in the process, the stack of plates fall down to the floor, leaving a big mess. I followed Eddie to the secret room.

…..

Beatrice:

It was my fault that Roger got out of the secret room. It began like this:

After I told Roger about my reason of not talking, he starts giving me advice about keeping secrets.

"If you keep a serious situation a secret, then it can really hurt you. You'll feel like you're carrying a safe on your shoulders." Roger said to me.

After that, I told him about what my mom said about taking away my freedom if I don't start talking when I turn seventeen, which will happen tomorrow.

Then, Roger decides to cheer me up by doing some Toon tricks and gags, which I thought were funny. He, then, pulls an old-fashioned disk out of thin air and at first; he tries to play the disk on the record outside of the secret. I told him that if anybody saw him, then they'll report to the police, or maybe the Toon Patrol. Of course, Roger insists and reluctantly, I let him out and he played the song on the disk. The customers, who were present in the bar, began to have their attention focused on Roger and after one round of dancing; the customers begged for more. And you already know that Eddie, Tommy, Delores came in and Eddie stops Roger after he smashes plates on his head. This is where we ended. Before that stopped, I tried to remind the customers that they shouldn't create a racket or Doom will come. Of course, they didn't listen.

Anyway, I helped Delores pick up the broken pieces of the shattered plates and it would've been easier if I had gloves and if some people who would move from table to another and didn't step over me. When Delores noticed that my hands were getting cut, I stopped picking up the plates and asked for something to stop the bleeding.

Delores gave me a roll of white bandage tape and I wrapped the tape around my hands to cover the cuts.

As soon as I was done the bandage tape, I tried to give it back to Delores but she looked shocked after looking at something or someone. Her hand reaches a tiny rectangular box and presses a button.

"Ex-nay, ex-nay." Delores hissed to the customers.

Immediately, they ceased and turn to look to see what Delores was looking at.

I look, too and I saw…Judge Doom walk in with his blank look.

"I'm looking for a murderer…and a fugitive." He said in a low voice.

I knew that the 'fugitive' is me. That's a big 'uh oh' and an even bigger 'oh no' for me. But for the customers, it's fear and tension.

I saw the Toon Patrol in a single file line, guarding the entrance while each weasel did their own thing: Smarty is making himself look cool, Wheezy is lighting another cigarette and burning three more in his mouth, Psycho is constantly having his hands on and off his head, Stupid is giggling a little bit, and Greasy is just standing there and is looking around the bar.

I stood with Delores and Judge Doom walked towards us. I was, once again, paralyzed by his Medusa stare.

"I already found the fugitive." Judge said, referring to me. "But what I'm really looking is…a rabbit."

Doom looks at a small group of men and they retreat from a table that they were sitting in, acting like they saw a swarm of angry bumblebees.

"A toon rabbit…" Judge Doom continued and walked to a small person. "…about…yeay…" He pushes the small person down to his knees. "…big…" Then, Judge Doom looks at me. "Do you know where he is?"

I was about to shake my head, as if I was saying 'No', but Delores came to my rescue.

"Look, there's no rabbit here!" She exclaimed. "So don't harass my customers or the girl!"

Judge Doom looks at her and declares,

"I didn't come here to harass. I came here to…reward."

Judge Doom grabs an army man's hand and uses it to wipe out the word 'FRENCH' on a small chalk board. Everyone, including I, watched Judge Doom pick up a piece of chalk and started to write something while making the chalk make that awful screeching noise. Every customer tensed up on the awful sound and I had to cover my ears.

Finally, Judge Doom stops writing on the board and the writing says, 'RABBIT DIP, $5000'. I heard the guy in the dirty clothes whistle in admiration, as if he just got a good deal on something.

"HEY!" He says. "I've seen a rabbit."

I gasped in horror. I couldn't believe that he's giving Roger away, even after enjoying his performance. Smarty sees me and he makes me, himself, too, the center of attention.

"I knew it!" Smarty exclaimed. "THE BROAD KNOWS WHERE THE RABBIT IS HIDING!"

Judge Doom looks at me and asks me in a serious tone,

"WHERE IS…THE RABBIT?"

"She doesn't know anything about the rabbit!" Delores exclaimed.

"I wasn't asking you." Doom hissed. "Start talking, little girl."

"She doesn't want to talk!"

_Yeah. _I thought. _If you think that you're so perfect at being the judge and the jury at the same time, think again! You kill Toons without giving them a proper trial! Go back to law school, for goodness sakes!_

I backed away from Judge Doom and I was ready make to a run for it.

"I heard you escaped last night and my men told me that you spoke out for the first time." Doom said, as if he was reading my past thoughts from last night.

I continued to back away. I was acting like some random people from random movies, when they witness or find out about something that meant trouble, they would get so nervous that they back away slowly and try to run away. That's what I'm doing right now. I know that Judge Doom is trying to make me spill the beans and I am trying my best not to panic until I reach the staircase and take off.

"I think…you're hiding something." Judge Doom said.

I shook my head no.

_No, I'm not. _I thought of saying. _I'm a hundred percent sure that I'm not hiding anything in my head._

I was almost to the staircase when I felt something scratchy grab my wrist and twist my arm back. I felt another hand grab my neck tightly but the grip wasn't tight enough for me to suffocate.

"Nice try, little girl." I heard a deep scratchy voice whisper in my ear. I began to smell the strong and nasty smell of cigarettes burning. "But nobody escapes the judge!"

_Wheezy…_I growled in my head. _Think over the last part! Roger has already run away from you and Doom! Jug-head…_

"If you try to escape," Wheezy continued and stroked one dirty finger across my throat. "You're in for a lot of trouble."

_Why, you dirty little…! _I thought.

I heard Judge Doom asked the man in the dirty clothes, "Where is the rabbit?"

"He's right here in the bar." The man immediately replied.

Looks of shock were pasted on the everybody's face. Then, the man swings his arm around an imaginary person in an empty chair and says,

"Well, say 'hello'…Harvey!"

Everyone in the bar laughed, even I laughed (I know that Harvey is a rabbit.). I got to tell you, the judge looked like a complete fool when he got the wrong answer. He, then, flashes his toothy smile and immediately, the laughing ceased.

Then, Judge Doom turned to the record player and picks up the disk.

"_Merry-Go-Round-Broke-Down_." He read and chuckled. "What a LOONEY selection for a group of drunken reprobates."

Judge Doom puts the disk under his nose and sniffs it. He pauses for a long time and everyone watches the judge because they have no idea what he was going to do next.

Suddenly, Judge Doom, who flashes his toothy smile, turns his head sharply towards my direction and shouts, "HE'S HERE!"

Unexpectedly, Doom throws the disk across the room and it acts like a Frisbee. Stupid doesn't see the disk and it flies into his mouth. The other weasels, including Wheezy and Smarty, laugh real hard. Wheezy laughed so hard that his grip releases me and I run to the back of the counter.

"Stop that laughing!" Judge Doom yelled.

He hits Smarty and he lands on a table, breaking it after he stops laughing.

"HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN WHAT HAPPENED LAST TIME?!" Judge Doom exclaimed. "IF YOU DON'T STOP THIS LAUGHING, YOU'RE GONNA END UP DEAD! JUST LIKE YOUR IDIOT HYENA COUSINS!"

_What on Earth is this Grim Reaper talking about?! _I thought.

Smarty straightens up and adjusts his suit.

"Say, judge, do you want us to 'dis-resemble' the place?" He asked.

_AGGH! IT'S 'DISASSEMBLE'! _I shouted in my head. _SERIOUSLY, READ A DICTIONARY! _

"No, son." Judge replied. "Disassembling the place won't be necessary. The rabbit should…come right…to me."

Judge Doom walks over to the counter and taps his cane like this:

TAP TAP-TAP-TAP TAP.

_What is he doing? _I thought.

"No Toon can RESIST…the old 'Shave and a Haircut' trick!" Judge declared and continues to tap the same tapping pattern.

"What is he doing?" I whispered to Delores.

"He's calling out for Roger." She replied. "On the first five tips, someone says 'Shave and a haircut'. The total is seven taps and the final two taps is 'Two bits'. If Roger responds with 'Two Bits', then he's in a lot of trouble."

I look at Delores in shock and she nods her head.

_Can this evil man do that? _I thought. _I don't even think that's legal!_

I watch Judge Doom walk around the bar and tap the 'Shave and a Haircut' whenever he stops for a second and waits for a response. I felt like my heart was going to burst out of chest when Doom tapped on the wall that had the secret room on the other side.

I was almost about to lose control when Judge Doom tapped his cane above the rim of the same wall.

"_Shave and a haircut…_" Judge Doom sang eerily.

_Come on, Roger, try to— _I thought.

But it was too late.

The wall explodes after getting hit. Roger flies out of a hole, lands on his knees, and finishes with a "_TWOOO BIIITS_!"

Uh oh...


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

**Tommy**:

When I heard Judge Doom tapping his cane, Roger was trying to pull himself together. Of course, the tapping continued and Eddie and I tried to make Roger settle down. You already know what happens next: Roger loses control, bursts through the wall, and Judge Doom grabs him by the neck.

Eddie and I didn't put up much of a fight. When Smarty and Greasy caught us, they flipped open their switchblades and Eddie and I put our hands up where they could see them.

"Hey, judge." Smarty said. "What should we do with the wallflowers and the broad?"

"We'll see to them later." Judge Doom said, smiling. "Right now, I feel like dispensing some justice. Bring me some DIP!"

Both Beatrice and I gasped in horror. We exchanged glances of terror and we shared the same thought: _Roger's done for! _

When the weasels went outside to get a barrel of Dip, Roger struggled to be released from Judge Doom's hand but Doom's grip was too strong.

I noticed that Beatrice was looking around the room and then, she ran towards me and whispered in my ear,

"Remember what happened in R.K. Maroon's office when Roger guzzled down a drink and went berserk?"

I nodded.

"I think I know how to save Roger!"

Then, Beatrice whispered (I hum a dramatic 'DUN DUN DUN') the plan. We'll tell Eddie about Roger's previous experience of drinking something from Maroon's office (that night when Eddie took the patty-cake pictures) and when the Judge prepares to dunk Roger in the Dip, we'll stop him and give Roger a drink. Even if Roger refuses to consume it, we'll make him. Once Roger drinks the drink and loses control, everybody will be so worked up that we'll have enough time to get Roger and ourselves out the bar and find a better place to hide. After that, we'll continue to do the search for Marvin Acme's will.

I ran to Eddie and told him the plan. He hesitated for a second and then, he tells me and Beatrice that he hopes that we know what we're doing.

When the barrel of Dip is brought up to Judge Doom, I had to hold my nose after the lid was flipped off the barrel. I couldn't stand the smell of a combination of burning nail polish remover, burnt paint, rotten eggs, sour milk, cigars, and a hundred percent pure evil.

"Does the condemned have anything to say before his sentence is carried out?" Judge Doom asked Roger.

Roger was about to say something but Judge stops him by squeezing neck really hard, gagging Roger.

I gave Eddie a thumbs-up, signaling him to get the drink ready. As Roger struggles to keep himself from touching the Dip, Eddie orders the drink. Delores thought that Eddie wanted to drink because he really wanted to have one for himself but Eddie insisted and something in his voice made Delores believe that he wasn't going to have it for himself. As everyone watched Roger, they solemnly take off their hats in respect.

"Hey, JUDGE!" Eddie called as Roger was using his ears in attempt to get away from the Dip.

Judge Doom stops and looks at him.

"Can a dying rabbit deserve one last request?" Eddie asked.

"Yeah!" Roger immediately replied. "Nose plugs would be nice!"

What a very odd but pretty useful request.

"I think you…want a drink." Eddie said. "How 'bout it, Judge?"

Pause.

"Well, why not?" Judge replied and pulled Roger away from the Dip. "I don't mind prolonging the execution."

Eddie presents the glass to Roger and as kind of expected, Roger nervously but politely refuses to drink it.

"DRINK THE DRINK!" Eddie exclaimed.

"But I don't want the drink!" Roger exclaimed back.

"He doesn't want the drink!" Judge Doom said.

"He does!" Eddie shouts.

"I don't!" Roger shouts back.

"You do!"

"I don't!"

"You do!"

That little disagreement reminded me of a cartoon that Beatrice and I watched as kids with the same trick but different situation.

"I don't!" Roger exclaimed.

I jumped in.

"You don't!" I said.

As I thought, Roger said, "I do!"

"YOU DON'T!" Eddie and I exclaimed in unison.

"I do!"

"You don't!"

Roger finally snatches the drink out of Eddie's hand.

"LISTEN!" Roger said, angrily in a comical way. "When I say 'I do', that means I do!"

Roger swallows the drink in one gulp and as Beatrice predicted, Roger was getting ready to lose control. When the change of colors, eyes rolling around in different directions, crazy twitching and babbling started, I knew that we were in for a really big blast. In fact, the twitching was so violent that Judge Doom was shaking. As Roger's cheeks were swelling up and getting full of air, Eddie and Delores ducked down and Roger emits the same loud whistling tea-kettle sound that he used in Maroon's office.

Judge Doom falls down on a group of witnesses and bottles and glasses were breaking violently. Beatrice and I try to push any obstacles that could block us from escaping with Roger but we had to stop doing that as soon as Psycho was pointing his razor blade at us. Beatrice hits Psycho on the head and makes a run towards the entrance. She stops because she knew that Roger was going to stop his crazy behavior anytime.

Eddie climbs over the counter and Greasy gets ready to punch him. Eddie punches Greasy and Stupid tries to hit Eddie with his baseball bat but Eddie hits him. Psycho gets back on his feet and threatens Eddie with his razor blade. Eddie simply kicks Psycho and he gets knocked out cold. Wheezy didn't put up much of a fight and Eddie whacks him hard with a chair. Smarty intervenes by kicking Eddie in the groin and giving Eddie a good uppercut. Eddie grabs the counter before he was prepared to lie down on the floor in pain. As Smarty pulls out and opens his switchblade with an evil grin, Eddie grabs a glass bottle and it explodes on Smarty, knocking him out.

Then, Roger stops his tea-kettle whistle and he almost got dunked into the Dip but Eddie catches him at the last minute.

Beatrice and I ran to the barrel and helped Eddie push the barrel of Dip. We escaped as soon as the smelly green liquid stained the floor.

"C'mon, let's get out of here!" Roger exclaimed.

…..

Beatrice:

Eddie, Tommy, and I followed Roger and we all exited the bar in a hurry.

"Boy, that was quick thinking, you guys!" Roger exclaimed, exposing himself to the public. Thankfully, not a lot of passing people were paying any attention to him.

We almost made a run for it but we stopped after we found the Toon Patrol car parked by the bar.

"Let's use this!" Eddie exclaimed and pulled Roger back and threw him the car.

Tommy and I got in the car and hoped that we were going to get away from the bar. It seemed that it took Eddie a while to start it.

"Start the car! What are you waiting for?!" Roger exclaimed.

"There's no key!" Eddie shouted.

For a group of semi-dysfunctional weasels, the Toon Patrol is certainly not that dumb enough to leave the keys.

"Hey, you weasels!" A gruff voice shouted in the back.

Eddie, Roger, Tommy, and I turned back and listened for the voice again.

"Let me out of here, will you?!" The voice shouted again. "I got to make a living!"

Roger opens up a sliding hatch and sticks his head through the gap.

"Benny, is that you?!" Roger called.

"No, it's Eleanor Roosevelt!" The voice, known as 'Benny', replied in sarcasm. "Get me out of here, Roger!"

Roger squeezes himself through the gap of the hatch and Eddie catches Roger's love letter after it was squeezed out of his pocket.

"Hey, you guys!" Roger called. "We got ourselves a ride! Open the doors!"

Eddie, Tommy, and I jumped out of the car and opened the back doors. Almost immediately, a yellow toon taxi cab leaps out of the back. I'm guessing that the taxi cab is named Benny.

"Ah! That's better!" Benny exclaimed. "I can't believe that I was locked up for driving on a SIDEWALK!"

I better not ask him why.

"C'mon, guys! Get it!" Roger exclaimed, happily.

"It was only a couple of miles." Benny shrugged.

As Eddie, Tommy, and I got in, Roger and Eddie briefly argue on who's going to drive. Benny breaks up the argument by stating that he's going to drive since, obviously, he's the cab.

Benny sped away from the bar after making a U-turn and calling somebody a pencil neck. I hoped that we would never go back to the bar ever again because I certainly don't want one of the weasels to put me in a choke hold.

"How about this weather?" Benny said. "It never rains!"

I looked back and I saw the Toon Patrol running out of the bar. Immediately, they pile into their car and they started to drive after us.

"Hey, you guys, we got company!" I exclaimed.

"Will you look at these two?!" Benny exclaims and squeezes in between two cars. We all screamed for a brief second but we managed to make it out.

"Share the road!" Tommy and Benny shouted to the drivers that we had to squeeze through.

"Now that's what a call a couple of road hogs!" Benny exclaimed.

Then, I heard a gunshot from behind us and Roger ducks his head. I heard the gunshot again and I felt this sharp and extremely painful feeling in my left arm. I felt like the back of my arm was being poked by a sharpened pencil really hard. I realized that I got shot.

"I've been hit! I've been hit!" I yelled and clutched my arm.

Benny continues to speed up and we nearly ran into a passing trolley. In the process of screaming in terror, Eddie swerves Benny and makes a sharp turn. The Toon Patrol car didn't make a good turn and the car got stuck.

"How are we doing?" Tommy called.

"The good news is that we lost the Toon Patrol!" I replied. "The bad news is that I got shot in the arm!" I spot two cops on motorcycles. "The worse news is that we have two cops on motorcycles!"

Roger nearly falls out of Benny but he pulls himself back in.

"Benny, we got cops behind us!" Roger exclaimed in terror.

"Not for long, Roger!" Benny said and was speeding backwards in an alley. "Now they're right in front of us!"

The motorcycle cops still don't give up on us and they continue to drive after us. The blood from my arm was getting worse and I nearly stained the seat with it.

"Eddie, we're going backwards! Turn us around!" Roger yelled.

He reaches for the wheel and makes Benny spin around a couple of times until he finally stops spinning and starts driving forwards. But the cops are coming towards us and they were getting closer and closer by the second.

"The cops are on our tail!" Tommy exclaimed.

"I know that the cops are on our tail!" Eddie exclaimed, not noticing the Toon Patrol car, which was now in front of us. "What do you think I am, bli—Benny!"

Everyone, Eddie, Roger, Tommy, and I screamed in terror. We were cornered by the police and the weasels.

"PULL THE LEVER!" Benny shouted to us.

Because there were so many buttons and switches on the dashboard, we couldn't figure out which lever that Benny was talking about. Thankfully, a sign (saying 'THIS ONE, STUPID!') appears out of the dashboard and points it at a blinking lever.

With my right hand, I quickly pulled the lever. As we were about to crash into the Toon Patrol car, Benny rises over it.

"I'm getting too old for this!" Benny exclaims while still in the air. He jerks away from a passing car and I nearly fell out.

"Beatrice!" Tommy exclaimed and pulled me back in.

"JUMPIN' JEEPERS!" Roger exclaimed.

"Hey, Roger, what do you call the middle of a song?" Benny asked.

"Gee, I don't know…" Roger said and scratched his head.

"A BRIIIDGE!" Tommy and I exclaimed in unison.

Benny leaps over the rim of the bridge, narrowly missing a lady. Benny is finally back on the ground when he lands on the road.

"Where can I drive you?" Benny asked.

"Somewhere we could hide." Roger said.

Benny claimed that he knew just the right place and if we ever needed a ride from him, we could just stick out our thumbs. The pain in my left arm increases ten-fold.

"Beatrice, what's wrong?" Roger asked me.

"I've been shot and my arm is bleeding, like, really bad!" I exclaimed.

"Let me take a look at it." Roger said as the ride was going a little bit smoother.


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

**(Hey, y'all! Of course, you know who I am (imaginarytoon1). I wanted to let you, the reader, know that this is the final chapter that contains a point of view story from Greasy.**

**That's all I have to say.**

**-imaginarytoon1)**

Beatrice:

"Ah, now that wasn't so bad, wasn't it?" A narrator in a Goofy cartoon asked a worn out Goofy and the audience roars with laughter while they watch Goofy getting tossed around on the movie sheet.

Uh, yeah. Roger, Eddie, and I are sitting in a movie theater and we're watching a Goofy cartoon. Tommy is outside of the theater, calling Delores, telling her where we are.

The bullet that was shot in my arm was removed when we got inside the theater's bathrooms. I don't want to explain how it was removed in details but my arm was almost completely covered in blood. In the process of getting the bullet removed, I began to wonder about Judge Doom. He was acting funny in the bar. Two examples, I believe, that I thought of were, one, Judge was shaking violently when he was holding Roger (before losing control), and two, when Eddie, Tommy, and I pushed the bucket of Dip, Doom backed away from it, as if he were a Toon or was afraid of his shadow.

When the bullet was removed, Eddie told me that I was very lucky that it didn't damage any nerves or bone. After that, my wound was washed, then covered with toilet paper and Roger's bandage tape (for some reason, he kept a roll of it in his pocket for emergencies.) and right now, I can't really move my arm very much because the bruise hurts a lot when I move it or lift it up too high and too much.

Anyway, as the audience in the movie laughed at the cartoon, Tommy came to our row after calling Delores. He says that Delores will be coming in a few minutes.

Roger was sitting a row away from us and he was laughing so hard that his popcorn was spilling out of the bucket.

"Boy, did you see that?!" Roger giggled. "Nobody takes a wallop like GOOFY! What timing, what finesse, what a genius!"

Eddie wasn't enjoying the cartoon and he grabs Roger by the ears. He puts Roger in a seat in between me and himself and looks at him, angrily.

"We're supposed to be HIDING!" Eddie hissed. "What's wrong with you?!"

Eddie smacks Roger on the back of the head. Tommy and I watch Eddie and Roger in curiosity.

"What's wrong with YOU?" Roger asked. "You're the only person in this theater who ISN'T laughing! Is there nothing that can permeate your impervious puss?"

When Roger speaks, he spits on Eddie a little bit what pronouncing the last few words that have a 'P' in them. Like Roger, Tommy and I wanted to know why Eddie is against Toons.

"Hey, Eddie!" Roger exclaims.

Eddie turns to Roger. Roger makes an incredibly goofy face by stretching his mouth at an impossible length and made that adorable and funny 'P-B-B-B-B' sound. Despite of the funny face, Eddie still doesn't crack a smile.

"Boy, nothing." Roger says after he stops making the funny face.

"Eddie, Tommy and I would like to know why you're against Toons." I said. "What is it that made you hold a grudge on them?"

"What made you turn in to a sourpuss?"

"Do you three really want to know?" Eddie asked.

Roger, Tommy, and I nodded our heads.

"I'll tell you." Eddie said. "A Toon killed my brother."

"What?!" Tommy and I exclaimed softly, in unison.

"A Toon?!" Roger exclaimed softly. "No."

Roger puts his hands over his mouth in shock.

"How did he get killed?" Tommy asked.

Roger, Tommy, and I listened to Eddie as he explains with some details. As he explained, I started picturing everything that was described.

"My brother, Teddy, and I used to work in Toon Town to solve Toon mysteries and because there were a lot of laughs. But anyway, there was this guy who broke into the First National Bank of Toon Town and got away with a zillion semolians. Teddy and I took a little dive down the Yukster Street. We went in. Only he got the drop on us, literally. Dropped a piano on us from fifteen stories. I broke my arm…but Teddy didn't make it…"

_Oh, no. _I thought and tears started swelling up in my eyes.

"…I never found out who that guy was." Eddie continued. "But all I remembered was that he was standing over me, laughing in a high squeaky voice and had burning red eyes…He disappeared into Toon Town after that."

Roger bursts out crying. Tears were running down his face and he was trying to wipe away his tears with his ears, as if they were Kleenex tissues. I didn't cry too hard but my heart was breaking after hearing Eddie's story. Tommy had a sad face and he was patting Roger on the back.

"No wonder you hate me!" Roger wailed. "If a Toon killed my brother, I would hate me, too!"

Eddie looks at Roger with a hint of sympathy on his face.

"C'mon, don't cry. I don't hate you." Eddie said.

"Yes, you do!" Roger sobbed.

"No, I don't."

"You do hate me! Otherwise, you wouldn't have yanked my ears all those times!"

"You want to know? I'm sorry that I yanked your ears."

Roger immediately stops crying and looks at Eddie, kind of giving him an innocent little kid face.

"All the times you yanked my ears?" Roger asked and fluttered his eyelashes with the same innocent little kid face. I really had to admit that it was really cute when he made that face.

"All the times I yanked your ears." Eddie replied.

Roger smiles and shakes Eddie's hand.

"Apology accepted!" He said. "Put it there, pal! Boy, I feel better alread-OH BOY!" Roger releases Eddie's hand and focuses on the movie sheet. "I hope it's another cartoon!" Roger hops over a couple of rows of seats and sits down in disappointment when he finds out that it's actually news reel that was playing.

"I hate the news…" Roger sulked.

When Delores walks over to Eddie's row and sits next to him, Tommy and I sat with Roger and watched the news with him.

Then, I realized something.

"Hey, Tommy, did Mom or Dad call back yet?" I asked.

"No and my phone's dead." Tommy said. "I tried checking the messages when I was calling Delores but my phone wouldn't turn on."

I checked my phone and it, too, was dead when I tried to turn it on.

"I wonder how Mom and Dad are doing right now." Tommy said and I nodded.

Roger joins in the conversation.

"What makes you say that? Did you two run away from home?" He asked.

"Oh, no. Beatrice and I didn't run away. A couple of days ago, Beatrice and I were actually planning on driving around in downtown Houston but what we can't figure out is how we made it here to Los Angeles." Tommy explained.

Roger nodded his head and then, he snaps his fingers.

"Are you and Beatrice about to turn seventeen tomorrow?" He asked.

"Yes. How did you know?" Tommy asked.

"I told Roger about it in the secret room." I said.

"What does the Birchwood twins wish for?" Roger asked.

Yes, I told Roger our last name.

Anyway, I paused for a second.

"I want to speak up again." I replied. "I wish that I have the confidence to stand up for myself when I see my mom tomorrow. I wish that I could talk again."

"Oh, Beatrice, you're actually improving." Tommy said. "You've been talking a lot more in public than before."

"But I can't even stick up for myself when I'm with Judge Doom. The way he spoke to me kind of reminded me of Mom would say to me."

"Beatrice," Roger said with a little bit of seriousness in his voice, the kind of seriousness that he would rarely use when talking to anyone. "I want you to listen to me."

"I'm listening. I'm all ears." I said to Roger.

"The next time you're with Doom and he says something to you, I want you to imagine that you're talking to your mother. If he ever says anything bad or insulting, then I want you speak up."

"But what if I don't? It doesn't take a snapping finger for a miracle to happen."

"There's always another shot."

"And even if you don't speak up," Tommy said. "I can still help you."

"But still," Roger said. "I want you to try. If, at first, you don't succeed…"

"Try, try again." Tommy finished.

I smiled a combination of a sad and confident smile.

"You guys are awesome." I said, deeply moved.

After that, Tommy, Roger, and I turned to Eddie and Delores, who don't notice that we were watching them.

"Delores," Eddie said, solemnly. "You need to find yourself a good man."

Delores looks at Eddie.

"But I already have a good man." She replies.

_Oh, man. I know where this is going_. I thought and rolled my eyes.

As soon as Eddie and Delores were about to kiss, Roger sighs an 'Hmmmm' in a loving matter, causing Eddie and Delores to stop and look at Roger, who has his ears twisted up in the shape of a heart.

"P-b-b-b-lease," Roger said. "Don't mind us."

Eddie and Delores…looked at us…then, each other awkwardly and Delores breaks the awkward silence by reminding us that we have to go.

Roger immediately walks up to the exit and we follow him.

"I'm glad Teddy's not here to see me with a tail in between my legs." Eddie said. I had no idea what he was talking about.

"It's not so bad…once you get used to it." Roger said.

When Eddie, Delores, Roger, and Tommy left for the exit, something underneath a seat catches my attention. I walked towards it, reached down, and grabbed it.

It was a slingshot, an old-fashioned wooden slingshot. I used to have one as a kid before some punk snatched it out of my hand and burned it up for firewood.

If I ever wanted a weapon, I would choose either a tennis racquet or pepper spray. But a slingshot is perfect, too (I don't actually know how to use a gun.).

Anyway, again, I stretched the rubber band part and it was good and strong. The rest of the slingshot, even the leather pouch, was still in good condition. I put it in my pocket. Hey, who knows when it could come in handy?

"…THE PACIFIC RED CAR TROLLEY LINE AND THE VENERATED MAROON CARTOONS STUDIOS…" I heard the news reel announcer say on the movie sheet.

_The Maroon Cartoons Studio? _I thought.

I turned and watched a happy R.K. Maroon shake hands with a young man on the sheet. This I gotta hear!

"…HERE, R.K. MAROON IS SEEN CLENCHING A DEAL WITH CLOVERLEAF'S BANKERS AND EXECUTIVES IN ONE OF THE BIGGEST REAL ESTATE DEALS IN CALIFORNIA HISTORY…!" The announcer continued.

"Eddie!" I called and caught up with him and the others.

"Where were you?" Eddie asked.

"I was in the theater and I heard the someone in the news mention R.K. Maroon and-"

Eddie's attention is caught when I just started talking about R.K. Maroon.

"What did he say?" Eddie asked, interrupting me.

I explained to Eddie everything that I've heard, how Maroon was about to make a deal with Cloverleaf bankers and executives by selling his studio and is about to make the biggest real estate deal in history. After explaining, Eddie carefully started to think about what I said and as I imagined a light bulb over his head, Eddie exclaims,

"THAT'S IT! THAT'S THE CONNECTION!"

…...

Greasy:

While Psycho, Stupid, and Wheezy worked on the dented bumper of our car, I wanted to know about the gunshots that happened while I rode in the back.

"The broad, her brother, Valiant, and the rabbit took the cab!" Boss said and grabbed a small mallet. "They were 'drying' away from us and I had to shoot to make them stop!"

Boss hands the mallet to Stupid, who obliviously hits the hood instead of the bumper.

"Anyone got shot?" I chuckled.

"I 'messed' the rabbit, Valiant, and the cab but I hit the broad in her left arm." Boss said.

I stopped chuckling. My soft-handed, fiesty muchacha shot?! IN THE ARM?!

"Why did you shoot her?" I asked with anger present in my voice.

"I wasn't planning on shooting the broad!" Boss exclaimed. "If Psycho, here, didn't lean against me, I would've hit either Valiant or the rabbit!"

"The girl is innocent!"

"She's been lying to us! She knew where the rabbit was hidden! Besides, you say that to every female that you've messed with! You've been 'tinkering' about the broad ever since the rabbit murdered Acme!"

"Guys, (cough! cough!)! That's enough!" Wheezy said and separated me and Boss. "Boss, we all know that Greasy hangs out with too many women but it's not your decision to separate Greasy from the little girl! If Greasy's eyes are on the little girl, then let him be!"

Then, I realized something.

"What were you doing with the girl in the bar? Why did you put her in a chokehold?!" I exclaimed.

After that, Boss, Wheezy, and I began to fight over opinions. In fact, we were fighting so hard that we created a big dust cloud.

"Ahem!" I heard a serious voice exclaim.

Immediately, Wheezy, Boss, and I stopped fighting and saw the judge standing over us.

"You idiots let Valiant escape with the girl, her brother, and the rabbit." He said, calmly.

"If Greasy didn't focus on the broad-" Boss began.

Judge stopped him.

"You don't realize that you're used to his typical behavior with girls and you're so worked up because his eyes are on the girl." The judge said.

That was true.

"We don't know where Valiant, the girl, her brother, and the rabbit are hiding right now but I know what we can do to bring them together." Judge continued.

We looked at the judge. I knew that he was up to something good and…heh heh heh, despicable.

…..

Tommy:

When it got late at night, Eddie drove me, Beatrice, and Roger to the Maroon Cartoons Studio. Delores was at her home somewhere and promised to answer when we call her.

"Let's forget it!" Roger said and Eddie parks his car. "There's nobody here!"

"Is that it or are you scared?" Eddie asked.

"P-b-b-b-lease! Me, scared? Don't be ridiculous!" Roger lied.

As Roger steps out of the car, his teeth, comically, chatter nervously.

"When you called Maroon, you told him that you have the will but you don't!" Roger continued. "If he finds out, he'll get mad…and might try to kill you."

He presses himself against the wall and stands on his tip-toes, as if he was trying to avoid contact with an invisible person turning around the corner.

"I can handle a Hollywood cream puff like him." Eddie said, bravely. "Beatrice and I will go up to his office and make him give us the answer to our investigation. While we're doing that, I don't want the odds to change. You and Tommy will stay out here and cover our backs."

"And if you hear or see anything wrong, suspicious, or out of the ordinary, beep the horn twice, no ifs, ands, or buts." Beatrice said.

"You can count on us, Beatrice and Eddie." I replied kind of nervously. "Just be careful when you're up there."

Beatrice nodded her head and she and Eddie disappeared upstairs.

"Okay, Roger," I said after he peeled himself off the wall. "Do you know what to do?"

"Yes, we should cover their backs." Roger says with building confidence. "I'm ready! Are you ready, Tommy? I sure am! Dukes set, eyes peeled, and ears to the ground! Why, nobody gets the drop on Tommy Birchwood or Roger Rabbit!"

"Roger," I said. "Let's be careful and stay focused. We don't know if someone will give us the drop."

"Right."

"Let's take turns. You keep guard and watch outside and I'll watch in the car. We'll switch every five minutes."

"Good idea."

I got in the car and placed my hand the horn, ready to honk.

I have to say that Beatrice and I had quite a bit of an adventure. We somehow drove from Houston to L.A., and then we took 'dirty' pictures, ran in with the Toon Patrol many times, had to be interrogated, chased, and even try to find the answer to the mystery. I admit that I didn't like the part of staying up all night at the Toon Patrol HQ and get painted on the face but still, Beatrice and I had some laughs, a few cries, and discovered many things.

BANG!

I snapped out of my thinking and I almost pressed the horn.

"Roger?" I called. "Are you okay?"

I receive no reply.

"Uh oh." I whispered.

I quickly got out of the car and raised my right fist. I walked around and looked under the car. Roger was nowhere to be seen.

"Roger!" I called again. "Quit playing games! You're making me nervous!"

I heard a loud THUD. Slowly, I turned around and walked to the sound of the loud and abrupt noise.

"Roger?" I asked.

I receive no reply but the last thing that I felt was something really hard, hitting me on the head and I blacked out after hearing a BANG!


	17. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

Beatrice:

Eddie and I entered the quiet, empty studio without any security popping out of nowhere and beat us down until the head honcho of the police comes and take us down to the 'clink'. Or 'jail', as many people would say.

Like many detectives that I've read and watched back home, Eddie wanted to make a good entrance once we talk to Maroon. I'm not talking about glitter, paper streamers, sticky spray paint, and a fanfare. I'm talking a sneak up behind Maroon and try to make him spill the beans.

"You ready?" Eddie whispered to me.

"Ready when you are." I replied.

Right now, Eddie and I entered a secret room that was full of film reels. It led to Maroon's office and by entering the office, you have to push the wall and it will spin open.

When Eddie and I entered the room, Maroon didn't notice us. I watched him adjust his suit and I noticed a bulge in one of his pockets.

Eddie and I exchanged looks and nodded simultaneously. Eddie taps Maroon on his shoulder and in a scared and surprised reaction, Maroon turns to us. He looked like he was drenched in sweat.

"What's up, Doc?" Eddie asked Maroon, quoted one of Bugs Bunny's lines.

"What are you two trying to do?! Give me a heart attack?!" Maroon exclaimed.

Despite of Maroon's tense and nervous tone, Eddie remained calm. I carefully listened for the car horn outside while listening to the conversation.

"You need a heart before getting an attack." Eddie said.

Maroon still didn't simmer down.

"You got the will?" He asked.

"Yeah," I said and Eddie gave Maroon a brief look at…Roger's love letter…hidden in his coat. "We got it."

"But the question is, do you have the way?" Eddie asked. "Because we're telling you now, it ain't gonna come cheap."

Eddie turns to a tray of a new glass bottle containing the same liquid that Roger guzzled down when we showed him the pictures.

_Eddie, this is no time for drinking! _I thought. _Focus!_

My attention was caught by the bulge in Maroon's pocket and for a second, something flashed. My eyes outlined the bulge and I gasped (in my head) when the mental outline took the shape of a small pistol.

"You got a lot of brass, coming up here by yourselves!" Maroon said, bitterly.

"Who said that we're here by ourselves?" Eddie said.

Eddie begins to pour himself a glass of the strong drink and Maroon pulls out…a small pistol! Just as I thought!

"Let me see that will!" Maroon growled and pointed the pistol at Eddie.

Eddie doesn't turn to Maroon and lies to him that he does have the 'will'. Maroon, having enough, smacks the glass out of Eddie's hand and swipes Roger's love letter out of his coat. I seriously didn't think that Maroon was going to take action like that.

Then, I had a feeling that something's not right.

"'How do I love thee'?" Maroon read the letter out loud. "'Let me count the ways'?" While Maroon read the letter, Eddie slides his hand on a bedazzled seltzer bottle and prepares himself. "Is this supposed to be a joke?!" Maroon angrily stuffs the letter down Eddie's pants.

"No," Eddie replied. "But this is!"

Eddie brings up the bottle and sprays Maroon in the face with a liquid that I can't even identify. After Maroon gets blinded in surprise, Eddie throws the bottle down and punches him. The pistol was knocked out of Maroon's hand and he falls to the floor. Eddie grabs the pistol and points it Maroon.

The same feeling came back to me. I know that something is about to go wrong but I don't when it will happen.

"GET UP!" Eddie exclaimed.

Maroon hastily gets back on his feet and Eddie uses his free hand and grabs his tie. Not his own tie but Maroon's tie.

"What are you going to do to me?" Maroon asked, fearfully.

"We're going to listen to spin the CLOVERLEAF scenario!" Eddie hissed and tosses the pistol out of his hand. "The story of greed, sex, and murder!" He walks Maroon over to a machine that possibly does the editing of cartoons.

"And the parts that I don't like are what I'm going to edit out!" Eddie said.

I nodded my head in nervousness.

"YOU GOT IT ALL WRONG!" Maroon exclaimed. "I'm a CARTOON MAKER, not a MURDERER!"

Eddie pulls Maroon closer to his face and exclaims, "Everyone's got to have a hobby!"

I watched in horror when I saw Eddie stuff Maroon's tie into an editing machine. When he steps on the pedal that makes the machine take in his tie, both Maroon and I stopped Eddie.

"Is this even legal when it comes to interrogating somebody?" I asked.

"Not really but when you need answers, you have to do stupid acts sometimes." Eddie replied to me and says to Maroon, "Give us answers right now!"

"The truth is that I had a chance to sell my studio but Cloverleaf wouldn't buy it unless Acme sold him his factory!" Maroon confessed and growing increasingly scared. "But Acme strongly refused and I decided to blackmail him by taking pictures of him and the rabbit's wife!"

_Excuse me?! _I exclaimed in my head. _Are you saying that the 'investigation' of Acme having an affair with Jessica was a set-up?!_

"That is so messed up!" I blurted.

"But that was all I was thinking! Blackmail and that's it!" Maroon cried out. "I've been around Toons all of my life and I didn't want to see them destroyed!"

The last part caught Eddie's attention.

"Toons destroyed? WHY?" Eddie asked.

_Something is definitely wrong! _I thought.

"If I tell you, then I'm a dead man!" Maroon cried.

"You're a dead man if you don't tell us!" Eddie exclaimed.

"Unless Acme's will shows up by midnight tonight…!" Maroon continued in fear and that's when I noticed a long silver tube snaking its way from behind a curtain. It aims right at us! Someone else is outside and is planning to blow us away! No wonder why Maroon says that he'll be a dead man.

"EDDIE!" I yelled. "WATCH OUT!"

As the gun fired, I jumped and pushed Eddie out of the way. I heard Maroon exclaim in pain and Eddie and I ducked behind a couch, nearly getting hit. Well, for me, I was almost hit again.

Then, the tube disappeared.

_Tommy, things would've been easier if you honked the horn earlier! _I thought.

"Stay here!" I whispered to Eddie. "I'll check the window."

When I got up slowly with my bad arm, I slowly walked to the window. I know that it wasn't the right thing to do but I had to do it. I screamed briefly when I saw Maroon's dead body dangling from the machine with his tie still lodged into it but I went back to the window. I ducked behind the curtain and slowly, I opened the blinds.

"What do you see?" Eddie asked me.

I got closer to the window and I looked down.

"JESSICA RABBIT!" I exclaimed.

I watched her run, look around frantically, and disappeared into a corner.

Then, I realized something that was really awful for me to think.

"Tommy and Roger didn't honk the horn!" I gasped.

Eddie and I looked at each other in horror. Tommy didn't honk the horn and Maroon was murdered by Jessica Rabbit. That means that Jessica…killed Tommy and then Maroon.

Then I saw something else. I saw…my truck!

"She's also taking my truck!" I exclaimed.

With no time to lose, Eddie and I ran out of the studio. After a couple of flights downstairs, we get into the car that we parked before interrogating Maroon.

"Follow that truck!" I said.

"Already on it!" Eddie said.

While Eddie drove at a very fast speed, I began to think about Tommy. Tomorrow, we were going to turn seventeen. Now that Tommy was killed by Jessica, I can't celebrate it now that he's gone. Thomas J. Birchwood, also known as 'Tommy' to many people who knew him, has died on the day before turning seventeen. My birthday wouldn't be fun without him.

As Eddie continued to be on Jessica's trail, she turns my truck to a road that led to a dark tunnel on the left. I noticed the sign before passing it. That tunnel led to Toon Town.

I expected Eddie to drive through the tunnel but we were only fifteen feet away when he stopped. My truck disappears into the darkness.

"Eddie, we got to keep going! Why did you stop?" I exclaimed.

He just stares at the tunnel with a blank look.

"You're still afraid that the weasels will show up and paint another pig mask on your head, are you?"

Eddie looks at me with an angry look.

"No, it's not that." He replied.

Then, I thought of another real good reason why Eddie's scared.

"I bet it's because of Teddy. Is that right?" I asked kind of bitterly.

Eddie was about to say something but he stops himself and looks away from me. I see a small teardrop running down his cheek.

"It's all right to be scared." I said, sounding like my mom, before she was mad at me for not speaking. "But you can't avoid fear! I know what it's like because I experienced it before." I paused for a second and then, I thought of something that could help. "When I had my learning permit and began to drive, I was hit by a man who wasn't paying attention to his speed and he hit me, my mom, and Tommy on a busy highway. After that and a trip to the hospital, I was afraid to drive until one day, my mom convinced me that there are some idiots in this world but not all of them are bad or idiotic. When she told me that, I wasn't afraid of driving anymore."

Eddie looked at me, as if he were asking me, 'Is that true?'

I nodded my head.

"If you're scared, you can't let the past linger in your mind." I continued. "The past just pulls you back like having anchor trailing behind you. But Jessica's in Toon Town and we made it this far. There's no turning back. If you're still nervous, then I'll drive into Toon Town with you."

Eddie thinks about what I've said to him and then, he pats his hand on my shoulder.

"You reminded me of my first Toon case with Teddy. He said something similar to what you've said." Eddie said. "You're right. There's no turning back. We're going to make it through this."

I smiled at Eddie.

He reaches for his bag in the back and pulls it up front. Eddie opens the bag and takes out a small wooden box.

"What's that?" I asked.

"A little gift from Yosemite Sam." Eddie replied.

He opens up the box and pulls out…a toon pistol. After flipping a flap underneath the gap where the pistol should've been, six TALKING toon bullets, five dressed like cowboy sheriffs and one dressed like an Indian, wake up from sleeping.

"What in Sam Hill-?" Bullet Number Three exclaimed.

"Eddie Valiant!" Bullet Number Five cried. "You're a sight for sore eyes!"

"I ain't seen you for nigh onto five years!" Bullet Number One said.

"Where you been?"

"Drunk." Eddie confessed while admiring the pistol. He opens the spinning barrel thing after snapping himself back. "You fellas feeling frisky tonight?"

Immediately, the bullets replied in unison, "Yeah!" and they load themselves into the pistol. When the spinning barrel thing in the gun closes, Eddie takes out his small bottle of whiskey and takes the cork out with his mouth.

"Eddie," I said, stopping him from putting the bottle up to his lips. "You don't need that anymore. Think about what Teddy would say if he were still alive."

I kind of expected him to drink the whiskey but I was wrong when Eddie looked at the bottle and dumps it. He throws the bottle into the air and pulls the trigger. For a brief second, I saw the toon Indian bullet taking off, whoops a war cry, breaks the bottle with an ax, and finishes his war cry.

Eddie and I hop back into the car with determination.

When Eddie starts the car, he asked me, "Ready?"

With the first two minutes of John Wayne's _The Cowboys _overture playing my head, I replied, "Ready when you are."

…

Tommy:

I heard myself groaning in pain. The bump on my head hurts so much and I crammed into a tight space. I can't see anything.

"Tommy, is that you?" I heard Roger's voice ask me.

I wasn't sure if I was imagining things or if I was really hearing Roger's voice.

"Roger?" I asked.

"Yeah, I hear you." He replied. "Where are we?"

"I-I don't know." I said.

There was a brief pause and I heard Roger sniffing something.

"What is that smell?" Roger asked.

While smelling the air, I felt something rough around my head.

_A blindfold! _I thought.

That's when I picked up the smell. It smells like vanilla beans mixed with apple pie.

"Roger, by judging the smell in here, we're in Beatrice's truck." I said and took the blindfold off of me. I was blinded by a sudden bright light and I closed them. "Beatrice is the only person in the world who uses a scent that smells that combines vanilla beans and apple pie."

I opened my eyes and I took the blindfold off of Roger. I looked outside.

"Is this Toon Town?" I asked.

"Yeah." Roger replied.

I've been to Toon Town before. The first time was when Beatrice, Eddie, and I were captured by the Toon Patrol and I didn't get a good look. There were cartoon buildings all around me and Roger and some of them had faces. Toon traffic was heavy and I saw a couple of familiar Toons pass by. Wile E. Coyote, Roadrunner, Dopey, Sneezy, Grumpy, Mickey Mouse, you name them.

"Jessica's purse!" Roger exclaimed and picked it up from the passenger seat up front.

"How did Jessica get a hold of Beatrice's truck?" I asked.

"I don't know." Roger replied. "And look what I found in Jessica's purse."

"What?"

Roger pulls out a frying pan from the small purse.

Then, I realized something.

"Roger, I think Jessica knocked us out with a frying pan." I said.

"What makes you say that?" Roger asked me.

"I think when we were waiting at the studio; Jessica came by and hit us on the head with a frying pan. I know because I heard the pan make that banging noise before I passed out. But the question is, why would Jessica hit us on the head with a frying pan and take us away?"

"Beats me but I bet that Eddie and Beatrice are looking for us."

"Should we stay where are or go look for them too?" I asked.

Roger looked at me and started to think.

"Let's go look for them." He replied.

"Yeah, good idea." I said.

Roger and I got out of the truck and we went down a road that led to who knows where.


	18. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

Beatrice:

"Going up, sir and ma'am?" Droopy asked me and Eddie when we got inside a hotel for Toons.

Eddie and I made it to Toon Town. When we got to the end of the tunnel, a red curtain pulls up and we were driving on a toon road as we knew it. The time of the day went from night time to day time. While Eddie continued to drive straight, Toons on the side of the road, even the sun and trees, were all singing a random tune. I watched the Toons dance, run, laugh, fly, play instruments, and sing on the side of the road. I even saw many Toons that I was familiar with after watching too many childhood movies, like Jiminy Cricket, the Tar Baby, and a teal dragon from _The Reluctant Dragon._ Three hummingbirds distracted Eddie and he ran his car into a pile of junk. Then, we got stuck into city traffic and started looking for Jessica. I saw her shadow after looking up several floors from where Eddie and I were standing.

And here we are, going up an elevator with Droopy, dressed as one of those hotel bellhop men or whatever they're called.

When Eddie and I stepped into the elevator, we fell down. I stood up and I saw that Droopy was standing on a box. We're in an uneven elevator.

"Mind the step, sir and ma'am." Droopy said and started the elevator.

For Eddie and me, the speed of the elevator was so strong that we were squished to the bottom of the floor. When Droopy suddenly stopped the elevator, Eddie and I were tossed up to the roof.

"Your floor, sir and ma'am." Droopy said and opened the elevator.

Then, Eddie and I were thrown off and out of the elevator. Before the elevator doors were closed, Droopy sticks his head out of the elevator and says, "Have a good day, sir and ma'am."

Eddie and I walked away from the elevator and approached a closed door. Eddie looks through the key hole of the door and chuckles, "Got'cha."

He slowly opens the door and then, I said,

"All right, Jessica, where did you hide my brother and Roger?"

Jessica slowly turns her head and looks at us. Then her eyes widen and Eddie says, "Uh, Beatrice?"

"What?" I asked.

"A MAN!"

I gasped.

We're not talking to Jessica! We're talking to a toon woman wearing Jessica's red dress but her teeth were in pretty bad shape, her face was something not to look at, and has a crazy obsession with men. Folks, we have a Jessica imposter on our hands.

The imposter takes off from where she was standing and starts making kissing noises. Eddie slams the door and we run. We heard the door getting kicked down and the imposter shouting "YOO-HOO, LOVER BOY! IT'S LENA HYENA!" Eddie pulls me into a men's bathroom, regardless if I'm a girl.

All of the sudden, Eddie screams in horror when he looked down. I looked down, too. I screamed with him. We were not standing on a floor! We were several floors up and we plummeted down really, really fast. What Eddie and I are dealing with is an old Toon gag used in many cartoons, standing over the edge of something and then, fall down from a dangerous height after realizing that we're not standing on anything.

While falling, I saw a flagpole sticking out and thanks to instincts; Eddie and I grab the pole. I sigh in relief that we're not falling but I don't know how Eddie and I are going to move if we're dangling several floors up without any safe place to land.

"Oh, wook! Piggies!" A little voice exclaimed.

Eddie and I looked up and said, in unison, "Hi, Tweety."

Then, finger by finger, Tweety chatters the 'This Little Piggy' poem thing while lifting Eddie's fingers. Mine, too. Eddie and I begged Tweety not to lift our fingers off the pole. Of course, Tweety, thinking that we're intruders, ignores our pleas and continues until Eddie and I fall down more floors.

While the air is rushing through my hair and blasting in my ears and my heart was pounding really fast, I looked over to Eddie.

"How are you holding up?" I yelled.

"WHAT?!" Eddie yelled back.

Then, I heard someone munching on something hard but edible.

"Eh, what's up, Doc?" A familiar voice asked me and Eddie.

I turned my head and I saw…Bugs Bunny…with a backpack and parachute goggles.

"Jumpin' without a parachute?" Bugs asked. "Kind of dangerous, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Another familiar voice, Mickey Mouse's, said. "You could get killed!"

"You guys have a spare?!" Eddie yelled.

"Uh, Bugs does."

"Really?" I yelled desperately.

"Yeah but I don't think you want it!" Bugs said in a sing-song voice.

"We do, we do!"

"Give it to us!" Eddie yelled.

"Gee, uh, better let them have it, Bugs." Mickey said.

"Okay, Doc, whatever you say." Bugs replied. "Here's the spare."

"Thank you!" Eddie and I said.

Bugs and Mickey pull their parachute strings and we looked for the string in the spare.

"READY?!" I yelled.

"READY WHEN YOU ARE!" Eddie yelled back, repeating my responding line.

Eddie and I pull the string, not getting a parachute but a SPARE car tire.

"OH NO!" Eddie and I yelled and continued to fall down several feet.

I wasn't sure if Eddie and I were going to make it but I looked at him and said, "Eddie, if we don't make it to the bottom, I want to say that I'm sorry that we're going through this! And I'm sorry for thinking that we saw Jessica!"  
"It's all right, Beatrice!" He replied. "We all make mistakes!"

When Eddie and I got closer and closer to the street, I closed my eyes and waited.

I heard Eddie grunt in surprise and I felt like a rope lassoed around me and caught me.

"MY MAN!"

Oh, no! It's Lena Hyena! At least I'm caught. I'm happy…and now, I'm not because Lena just tossed me away from Eddie like I'm a sack of potatoes.

I barely hear Lena make a long kissing noise and I rolled out of the way when Eddie somehow managed to release himself from Lena.

"COME TO LENA!" Lena cried out as she was running a record-breaking speed.

I looked down on the road that Eddie and I were on and lifted a white line that divides the road in two lanes. Eddie saw what I was doing and he tore the line and moved it, as Lena approached us. She continues to run where the line led her…and ran into a brick wall.

"Toons! Gets 'em every time!" Eddie scoffed. "Nice job, Beatrice."

"Again, I'm sorry about-"

"It's all right. No one's perfect. Now let's get to work on finding Jessica."

I nodded my head.

Eddie and I turned to a dark alley with all sorts of junk, posters, and a leaking pipe. I patted on my left pocket and I sighed with relief when I find that my slingshot is still in it. The cuts on my hands from the bar still kind of sting and I winced a little bit when the gunshot wound gave away a sore muscle feeling that hurts a little bit. The bandage tape that was wrapped around my hands is now stained with grime.

"Arm doing okay?" Eddie asked.

"Kind of." I replied.

"Don't worry. Your arm will feel better in a couple of days."

"Okay."

Then, Eddie takes out his pistol out and prepares himself as we walked through the dark alley. The further we walked, the bigger our shadows seem to be getting.

Eddie sneezes and his shadow turns to him and says, "Gesundheit!"

"Thank you." Eddie replied.

After walking a couple of more feet, I thought I heard a voice calling my name.

"You hear that?" I whispered.

"Hear what?" Eddie whispered back.

"Listen carefully."

Eddie and I stopped walking and we listened.

"_Beatrice! BEATRICE, WHERE ARE YOU?!" _

I gasped in a good form of shock.

"TOMMY!" I exclaimed.

"He's alive?!" Eddie exclaimed.

"HALLELUJIAH, TOMMY'S ALIVE!"

"You can go ahead and look for your brother. I'll look for Jessica. When you find Tommy, look for me."

"Okay, Eddie. I'll see you in a little bit."

When I took off running, Eddie warned me to stay away from the Toon Patrol and Judge Doom. I gave him a thumbs-up and continued running until I was on the end of the alley. Not only the alley was dark but the rest of the town was dark. It was daytime and now, it's night time, all of the sudden. Time in Toon Town is so weird and random.

Now that I'm walking down a long street by myself, I had to test out my slingshot. It was still in good condition but I wonder if it's still good for shooting. I grabbed a couple of rocks that I found chipped off the sidewalk, placed four of them in my pocket, and loaded the pouch with one rock. I stretched the rubber band, aimed the rock at a soda can sitting on a dumpster, and launched it. The rock hits the can and it ricochets away.

"Yep, still good." I said to myself.

I walked down the street and called out for Tommy. After at least six times, a random toon's voice shouts "SHADDUP" at me. I apologized to the voice and I continued to call Tommy.

Thank goodness, Tommy's still alive! Now my birthday is going to be a lot of fun with Tommy present. I don't know what I would do without him.

"TOMMY!" I called.

No reply.

"TOMMY, WHERE ARE YOU?"

I heard glass bottles breaking and a cat screeching.

"Tommy? TOMMY! TOMMY, WHERE ARE YOU?!"

I receive no reply. Maybe I was imagining Tommy's voice…no! If Eddie heard Tommy's voice, too, then I'm not imagining things.

"TOMMY, CAN YOU HEAR ME?!" I called out again.

Long pause.

"BEATRICE? IS THAT YOU?!"

I gasped.

"Tommy, where are you?"

"Right here!" Tommy called.

"Where's 'here'?"

I saw Tommy's hand waving at me two alleys away from me.

"I see you, Tommy!"

I ran to Tommy's hand and he leaps out of the alley. When I approached to him, I hugged him. I was so excited to see that Tommy's alive that I actually said his full name, which rarely happens!

"THOMAS J. BIRCHWOOD, I thought you were dead!" I exclaimed while hugging him. "I was so scared!"

"I'm all right, Beatrice. How's the arm?" Tommy said.

"It hurts a little bit but it'll heal in a couple of days."

"That's good to hear."

Tommy and I continued to hug until I heard someone chuckling. I released Tommy and turned around.

It was Smarty and the rest of the Toon Patrol!

"Well, isn't that sweet?" Smarty mocked.

"What do you want?" I demanded.

"We can't believe that you fell for it!"

Smarty, Psycho, Wheezy, and Stupid laughed.

"Fell for what? What are you talking about?" I asked, nervously.

"You're hugging your 'brother'!" Smarty exclaimed while using the air quote finger thing.

"What are you-?"

Wheezy, while laughing pointed to Tommy and I turned to him. Tommy had a smug on his face and was grabbing his hair.

"Tommy, what are you doing?" I asked.

Then, I realized that I wasn't talking to Tommy when GREASY pulled off a mask that resembled Tommy. I gasped in horror when I saw him take off the disguise. I'VE BEEN TRICKED! I HUGGED A WEASEL WHO I ABSOLUTELY DISLIKE!

"Greetings, _muchacha._" Greasy said to me.

I felt my face burning in embarrassment while the Toon Patrol laughed and laughed and laughed. I had to get away from them!

I took off running like a deer getting chased by a mountain lion.

"EDDIE! EDDIE! EDDIE!" I called. "HELP! HELP! HELLLLLLP!"

Then, I felt something wrap around my left ankle and pull me down. Those weasels! I felt them tug on the rope and I was dragged towards them helplessly on the street. I used my good arm to help me try to make myself difficult but I was overpowered.

When I was close to the weasels, I continued to call out for Eddie while the weasels tied my hands back. I attempted to stand up and I called for Eddie but Wheezy and Smarty grabbed my arms and dragged me to their car. Stupid and Psycho opened the back and I was literally tossed in. Before the doors were closed, Greasy and Psycho hopped in the back, leaving me alone with two idiots in the dark.

"Hey, judge!" I heard Smarty shout. "We got the broad!"  
"Excellent!" Judge Doom shouted from a distance that I can't make out. "Eddie and the rabbit's wife are just down the road! Arrest them!"

"Well, muchacha, it's just you and me in the back." Greasy said to me.

"Why are you being so nice to me instead of treating me like a bag of trash?" I snapped.

"Because I like you! You're fascinating!"

"If you try to kiss me, then you'll be sorry!"

Then, I heard the car getting started and the siren started blaring. I felt the car going at a really fast speed and I felt like I was on a dark roller coaster ride. I heard Smarty shout orders and gunshots. Then, the car stopped suddenly and I was hit by the divider of the back and the front of the car. I thought that I was going to break my neck. Throughout the ride, Psycho giggles insanely and uncontrollably.

"_¿Estás bien?_" Greasy asked me.

"What did you say?" I asked back.

"You doing all right?"

"I thought that I was going to break my neck."

I heard Greasy groan.

"That's why the boss is not very good with girls, like you." He said. "You need to be sitting up."

I heard Greasy walk.

"Hey, Psycho, help me here with the girl."

_Wait! What are you doing?! _I thought.

"Time to help the pretty lady! Hee hee!" Psycho giggled.

Then, I felt Greasy's scratchy hands and Psycho's sleeve grab my arms and pick me up. I felt Psycho hold on to me and I hear Greasy shuffling around a little bit. Then, I felt something slimy getting rubbed up the back of my neck. I'm used to slimy things but I'm not used to anybody licking on my neck. Yes, Psycho licked the back of my neck. It was really disgusting.

"All right, _hermano_, you can let her go." Greasy said.

The next thing that I was forced to do was sitting down. Then, I felt Greasy's hand on my shoulder.

"It felt like forever when I was separated from you, _querido_." Greasy purred and rubbed my shoulder. "And look what's happened to you. Bandage tape around your hands and you got shot in the arm. Are you okay? Yes? Good."

_Don't get too comfortable, mister. _I growled in my head. _You'll be chewing on a knuckle sandwich if you don't knock it off._

Then, I felt another slimy, wet feeling but instead of feeling it on my neck, I felt it on my cheek.

I'VE BEEN KISSED! I'VE BEEN KISSED BY A WEASEL! EW!

"Oh, the car is slowing down." Greasy just said. "Judge must've found Valiant."

_EDDIE VALIANT?! _I thought. _OH NO!_

The car stops and so does the siren.

"There's Valiant!" Stupid blurted out.

"Oh, my men just brought you a little something that they caught walking down the street without an adult." Judge Doom said.

"What?" Eddie and…Jessica asked.

"Bring her out, boys!"

The doors opened up and Smarty pulled a rope out from his coat and lassoed me with it.

"C'mon!" Smarty commanded.

Smarty pulls on the rope and I walk out with shame. I guess I disappointed Eddie. He's probably going to think that I didn't listen to him. I decided to face when I stepped out of the back of the car.

I heard Jessica gasp in horror and Eddie exclaimed my name in shock. I looked at Eddie and mouthed, "Sorry, Eddie. I've been tricked." I saw Benny, who is in really bad shape and he is rammed into a light pole.

"All right, enough with the chit-chat." Judge Doom said. "Put the girls and Mr. Valiant in my car."

"Come on, you mugs." Smarty said and guided me, Jessica, and Eddie away from Benny, who, unknown to the Toon Patrol and Doom, is still okay and was listening to the conversation.

"I think they'll enjoy the ribbon cutting at the Acme Factory." Judge Doom said in a low voice.

After getting loaded in the judge's car, we were driven to the Acme Factory.

"I'm sorry, Eddie." I whispered. "I thought it really was Tommy."

"You're talking." Jessica said. "I'm glad that I am finally hearing your voice."

I gave Jessica a weird look and Eddie knew what I was thinking.

"Jessica knocked Tommy and Roger out by hitting their heads with a frying pan." Eddie began to explain. "She only did that because she followed Judge Doom to studio and didn't want Tommy and Roger to 'get hurt'. Jessica also witnessed Doom killing Maroon but she was too late to stop him. When I met up with her, we found your truck empty and possibly thought that Roger and Tommy went out looking for us."

"Believe me, Beatrice." Jessica said. "I'm really not that bad and I really love Roger."

I sighed.

"I now believe you, Jessica." I said. "But I just hope that Tommy is all right."

…

Tommy:

"Roger, I saw Beatrice get carried away by the Toon Patrol!" I exclaimed. "We have to go help her!"

"But Eddie's car is wrecked! How are we supposed to help Eddie, Beatrice, and Jessica? Oh, just thinking about Jessica getting harassed by the weasels is making me worried!" Roger said.

"Let's go back to where Jessica parked Beatrice's truck. Once we get out of Toon Town, we'll call Delores and tell her to bring in medical staff and police officers."

When Roger and I ran back to Beatrice's truck, I hoped that the Toon Patrol isn't hurting my sister. If anyone harms a single hair on Beatrice, I will snap them like a pencil!


	19. Chapter 18 part one

Chapter Eighteen

Beatrice:

Hugging, fist bumps, high-fives, and back pats are okay for me, as long as they're used in appropriate times. But if you were me in the Acme Factory, there were none of those things that I listed just a second ago.

This is what happened.

Just as the car that Eddie, Jessica, and I were in was about to stop, Eddie warned me that the weasels will try and frisk me. Because I read in one of my dad's police vocabulary books, I didn't like the sound of the word 'frisk'. I knew what it meant and I don't even wish to be in a situation that involves anyone invading my personal space.

"I'm scared." I whispered. "Even though I shouldn't be, I'm really scared. I don't know what to expect."

Then, the car stops and that tells me that we're in front of the Acme Factory. The back doors open up and Jessica, Eddie, and I were led in to the factory. Greasy walked beside me as we entered inside.

Smarty led me, Eddie, and Jessica to where Acme was discovered with a safe dropped on his head. As Stupid and Psycho were heading to the far end of the room, getting ready to take apart the brick wall for some reason.

"All right, Greasy and Psycho, frisk the broad!" Smarty demanded.

I gave him a face that would've told Smarty: "I'm very insulted. Don't call me that or I'll call you 'meathead' out loud."

"Hold still, muchacha." Greasy said to me. "This won't hurt at all."

Psycho giggled madly and in desperation, I mouthed to Eddie: "HELP ME!"

Then, I felt Greasy's hands moving up and down, touching my body. He even attempted to stick his hand down my shirt but I stopped him by making an 'X' sign with my arms. What Greasy did was nasty, dirty, and wrong. If he says that he likes me, then he shouldn't have invaded my personal space. I felt a tear drop running down my face because I'm feeling a combination of feelings: humiliation, frustration, and even feeling insulted.

"_Lo siento, mi chica_." Greasy said.

"Did you find the will on the-?" Smarty began.

"STOP CALLING ME A BROAD, YOU MEATHEAD!" I blurted out angrily.

"NO WILL, NO WILL! HEE HEE HEE HEEEEE!" Psycho giggled.

"Then, search Valiant!" Smarty demanded.

I watched Psycho and Greasy walk towards Eddie. I guess he didn't like the way their hands were going into his coat and pant pockets because he fidgeted and even kicked Psycho.

Jessica moved away a couple of feet and I didn't really blame her. I crossed my arms across my body, as if they were a shield. Jessica looked at me with a face of sympathy and concern.

"Are you okay?" She mouthed at me.

I shook my head.

"We checked the broad and Valiant, boss!" Smarty shouted to Doom as he was lowering himself down with a vertical conveyor belt.

"Then frisk the other woman!" He called.

I expected Greasy to make a move on Jessica and everyone in the room looked at him. He was just standing next to me and picking at his nails.

"Well?" Smarty asked Greasy.

He looked up.

"Well, what?" He asked back.

"Frisk the rabbit's wife." Smarty replied.

Greasy looks at Jessica and then, he looks at me. He wraps his arm around my waist and shakes his head. Then, we heard him mumble something and I couldn't make it out.

I whispered in his ear, "Speak up! We can't hear you!"

"I said, _no quiero engañar a esta chica. Ella es la que tengo mis ojos en._" Greasy said, loud enough for the whole world to hear.

Judge Doom looked at me and I shrugged my shoulders. Greasy is still ignoring the fact that I can't understand a single word or phrase spoken from the Spanish tongue.

"Speak English!" Wheezy exclaimed.

"I don't want to cheat on this girl." Greasy said, referring to me. "She is the one that I only have my eyes on."

If I were a Toon, my face would've turned red like a tomato and steam would come out of my ears. Probably for the millionth time, I don't have any interest in Greasy! I never liked that son of a bilge rat in the first place!

"If you're not going to frisk the rabbit's wife, then I'll do it!" Smarty growled.

Greasy, all of the sudden, releases me.

"NO!" He exclaimed. "I'll handle this one!" Greasy looks at me and says, "Forgive me, _mi amor._"

After saying that, Greasy rolls up one of his sleeves and licks his lips. Jessica tenses up and even stares at the ceiling while Greasy…sticks his hand down her dress!

Burning with anger, I attempted to walk over to Greasy and pull him away from Jessica. HE SHOULDN'T TREAT GIRLS LIKE THAT! It's an invasion of privacy and personal space!

I almost passed Eddie when Smarty pointed his pistol at me and pulled the trigger, nearly hitting me again. The gunshot sound caused Greasy to exclaim in pain and I looked at him. His hand was out of Jessica's dress and he has a bear trap clamped on to his hand. Greasy yells out random Spanish words while jumping backwards and spinning around. The other weasels laughed while they watched.

When Judge Doom, who somehow managed to get on the floor rather quickly, approached a screaming Greasy, he swings his cane and hits Greasy, sending him to a box of fake eyeballs. The other weasels continued to laugh until Judge turns around.

"Do they have the will or not?" Judge Doom exclaimed.

Psycho reached into Eddie's pocket and pulls out…

"Nah," Smarty replied. "Just a stupid love letter."

Psycho tries to tuck away the love letter but he struggles with Eddie, who tries to take the letter out of his hands.

"No matter." Judge said. "I doubt that the will is going to show up in the next fifteen minutes."

Eddie grabs Psycho's sleeve, snatches the love letter, and puts it back in his coat.

"What happens in the next fifteen minutes?" Eddie asked.

"Toon Town would be legally mine…" Doom replied. "…lock, stock…and barrel."

…

Tommy:

I will never let Roger take control of the wheel again!

When we got inside Beatrice's truck, Roger volunteered to drive it because he lived in Toon Town and he knew the way out. I allowed Roger to drive but I immediately regretted to make that decision after he ran into many fire hydrants, lamp posts, and buildings.

When some time passed, Roger finally made it to the tunnel that led us in Toon Town. We were back to human night time when we got out of the tunnel.

"Roger, there's Benny!" I exclaimed after seeing a badly beaten Benny next to a broken lamp post.

Roger immediately stops the truck and rolls down his window.

"Benny? IS THAT YOU?!" He called out.

"NO, IT'S SHIRLEY TEMPLE!"

Benny, with deflated tires and missing teeth, stands on his hind tires and walks toward us, limping and groaning in pain.

"What happened to you?" I asked.

"Doom grabbed your sister, Valiant, and Roger's wife and took them to the Acme Factory." Benny replied.

"The Acme Factory?" Roger asked. "I know where that is! Get in!"

"Move over, Roger. You had enough driving for one night."

Benny, despite of him being a car, squeezes himself in Beatrice's truck and starts it up.

"But first, Benny," I said in a kind of constricted voice. "Take us to a phone booth."

"No problem." Benny said.

…

Beatrice:

"Toon Town is right on the other side of the wall, boss!" Stupid exclaimed.

So that's why he and Wheezy were taking the wall apart! There was a big pile of bricks and there was a hole that gave off colorful lights and random music tunes. But I still don't see the real reason why Judge Doom would want Stupid and Wheezy to look for Toon Town.

"You see, Mr. Valiant?" Judge Doom asked. "The successful conclusion of this case draws a curtain for my career as a jurist in Toon Town. I'm retiring…taking a new role in the private sector."

With Greasy standing next beside me, his hand free from the Jessica's bear trap, Judge Doom walks to a green tepee-like curtain while he talks. Smarty points his pistol at Eddie.

"That wouldn't be Cloverleaf Industries, by any chance?" Eddie asked.

Doom stops and turns to me, Eddie, and Jessica.

"You're looking at the sole stock holder." Doom said.

…..

Tommy:

"…Just bring in the police and medical staff to the Acme Factory." I said to Delores on the phone. "Right, nobody else. Just try to hurry!"

I hung up the phone.

I ran back to Beatrice's truck and Benny drove me and Roger to the Acme Factory.

After pulling up, I got out of the truck and Roger said to Benny,

"You meet up with cops and Tommy and I will save my wife, Eddie, and Beatrice!"

"Be careful in there!" Benny exclaimed after Roger got out. "This isn't a cartoon, you know!"

Benny drove away with Beatrice's badly dented and scratched truck and disappeared down the street.

Roger and I ran to a window on the side of the Acme Factory and tried to open it.

"Wouldn't you know? Locked." Roger said and leaned against it.

The window suddenly swings open and Roger falls inside the factory. I heard him exclaim in surprise and then, a splash and a flush.

If Roger is reaching Beatrice, Eddie, Jessica, the Toon Patrol, and Doom by flushing himself down the toilet, then I'm going to enter the factory another way…

…To be continued.


	20. Chapter 18 part two

Chapter Eighteen part two

**(…and now, we return to **_**The Birchwood Twins: Toon Town Investigators.**_**)**

Beatrice:

Judge Doom drops a silver tray in front of him and partially opens the hanging cover, revealing a small valve. He twists the knob and a familiar green liquid is released from the valve and begins to corrode the tray.

"Can you guess…what this is?" Judge asked.

By judging the green and yellow color and the combination of burning nail polish remover, burnt paint, rotten eggs, sour milk, cigars, and pure evil, I knew what it was.

"Oh my gosh, it's…DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIP!" Jessica exclaimed in terror.

"That's right, my dear!" Judge Doom exclaimed.

He removes the cover and to my horror, Jessica and Eddie's, too, a giant machine made out of certain things that were taken apart and made into a 'Franken-vehicle' with a large vat in the back. I watched Wheezy and Stupid carry and pour in a couple more gallons of Dip into the vat. I even saw Psycho climb up a ladder and stood behind a…water cannon?

"FIVE THOUSAND GALLONS OF HEATED DIP!" Judge Doom continued. "With this vehicle of my own design and all this Dip pumped through a pressurized water cannon (I KNEW IT!), Toon Town will be wiped off of the face of the Earth in a matter of minutes!"

_Really?! _I exclaimed in my head. _That fast?!_

"Hey, judge!" I heard Slimy and Flasher shout.

Doom, Eddie, Jessica, the rest of the Toon Patrol, and I looked at Slimy and Flasher, who walk out from behind a giant pile of crates and junk.

"What do you idiots want? Can't you see that I'm busy?!" Judge Doom exclaimed.

"This is important! We caught this boy sneaking around outside of the factory!" Slimy shouted, spitting slime as he spoke.

"Do you want us to bring him in?" Flasher asked.

"Bring him in!" Doom replied.

Slimy and Flasher disappear behind the crates and I heard…

"Let go of me! I SWEAR, IF YOU HARM MY SISTER, YOU'RE GONNA BE SORRY!"

I gasped.

Slimy and Flasher walk from behind the crates and junk with…

TOMMY!

I gasped in delight and ran to Tommy.

"BEATRICE!" Tommy exclaimed.

Tommy, the real Tommy, and I hugged when we were at a perfect distance away from the Toon Patrol Members.

"I thought you were dead!" I whispered in Tommy's ear.

"I just got hit on the head, that's all." He whispered back. "How's your arm?"  
"It still kind of hurts but Eddie told me that it'll heal in a couple of days."

"That's good."

"All right, you two!" Judge Doom called. "That's enough! Slimy, Flasher, go back and stand guard outside."

Tommy and I stopped hugging and we walked back to where I was standing before Tommy was dragged in.

_But where's Roger? _I thought.

"As I was about to say," Judge said. "Several months ago, I had the good providence to stumble upon a plan of the city councils, a construction plan for epic proportions. They're calling it, a 'freeway'."

"A freeway?" Eddie asked. "What the heck's a freeway?"

"Eddie, a freeway is a major road that people can drive on without having to pay a toll." Tommy explained.

_I really didn't want Tommy didn't explain that. _I thought. _That'll increase Doom's madness._

"Almost like the boy said, a freeway is a road of eight lanes of shimmering cement running from here to Pasadena." Doom said to Eddie. "Smooth, safe, and fast. Traffic jams will be a thing of the past."

_Actually, they still are. _I thought.

"So, is that why you killed Acme and Maroon?" Eddie asked. "Just to build this freeway? I don't get it."

_I don't think any of us don't get it either. _I thought again.

"Of course you don't." Doom said, coldly. "You lack vision."

As he explains, Doom walks towards the wall that Stupid and Wheezy were taking apart just a few minutes ago.

"I see a place where people can get off and on the freeway. Off and on, on and off, all day, all night! Soon, where Toon Town once stood will be a string of gas stations, inexpensive motels, restaurants that'll serve rapidly-prepared food, tire salons, automobile dealerships…" He walks a few feet away from the wall. "…and WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL BILLBOARDS REACHING AS FAR AS THE EYE CAN SEE…my gosh…it'll be beautiful."

_Now I get it. _I thought. _Doom basically killed Acme and Maroon so that he can destroy their property and wipe Toon Town away with Dip…just because he wanted to build a freeway! If Doom had his hands on Acme's will, then he'll probably do horrible things to it to prevent anyone from stopping him. Now that's despicable!_

"Come on!" Eddie exclaimed. "No one's going to drive this lousy freeway when they can take THE RED CAR for a nickel!"

Where Tommy and I were standing now, thanks to Smarty moving us away from Eddie and Jessica as Doom talked, Greasy stood on a covered manhole.

"Oh, they'll drive on the freeway." Doom said to Eddie. "I bought the Red Car so that I could DISMANTLE IT!"

_Dude, _I thought. _That is so messed up. And probably illegal._

…...

Tommy:

Then, a rumbling sound begins to build up. It sounded like a volcano building up pressure.

"What the-?" Smarty asked.

Greasy looks down at the manhole with confusion and suspicion. All of the sudden, the lid that covered the manhole blasts off the floor, sending a screaming Greasy up into the air with hair shooting out. Then, I heard…Roger…screaming and he is shot out of the ground, just like Greasy. Beatrice and I avoided the dirty manhole water that was blasted out of it and trust me on this, the water smelled awful.

Anyway, everyone watches in surprise as Greasy grabs on to a hanging net full of bricks while Roger still takes the time to fall back down. He finally comes back down after looking like a small dot high up in the air and lands on his feet.

After a perfect landing, Roger pulls out a gold pistol out of his pocket (I have no idea where he found it) and he randomly points it at various Toon Patrol members.

"Okay, nobody move!" Roger exclaimed with an angry look on his face.

Smarty, with his own pistol, and Psycho walk up to Roger. He points his gold pistol at Smarty in his defense.

"All right, weasels!" Roger cried. "Grab some sky or I'll let the judge have it!" He looks at Smarty. "You heard me! I said, drop it!"

Smarty just drops his pistol and he just looked like a big fool after thinking that he just got threatened by a funny white rabbit in red overalls.

"ROGER, DARLING!" Jessica exclaimed, joyfully.

Roger looks at Jessica with a face with determination and some other feelings that I can't describe and does this ballet leap towards her.

"Yes, it's me, my dearest!" He said to Jessica and holds her hand for a brief second. "I love to embrace you but first…" When Smarty and Psycho try to grab Roger, he releases Jessica's hand and points his pistol at them. "…I have to satisfy my sense of moral outrage!"

Jessica looks at Roger with awe but Judge Doom looks at Roger as a huge threat. With a blank but tense look on his face, Doom exclaims at Roger,

"PUT THAT GUN DOWN, YOU 'BUCK-TOOTH-ED' FOOL!"

"That's it, DOOM!" Roger said and approached Doom. "JUST GIVE ME ANOTHER EXCUSE TO PUMP YOU FULL OF LEAD!"

While Roger gives Doom his speech about Toons demanding justice, Beatrice bumps her elbow on to my arm and points at Greasy, who was climbing up the rope a little bit with his switchblade open. When he was at the appropriate height, Greasy begins to cut the rope that held the net of bricks.

"WE, TOONS, MAY ACT IDIOTIC BUT WE'RE NOT STUPID!" Roger cried. "WE DEMAND JUSTICE! WHY, THE REAL MEANING OF THAT WORD PROBABLY HITS YOU LIKE A TON OF BRICKS!"

Beatrice, without warning, takes off from where she was standing and tries to push Roger out of the way when the bricks were falling but she wasn't fast enough to push herself and Roger away. The bricks fall down on both of them and the Toon Patrol members laugh in a sadistic matter, even Greasy, and I was shocked that Beatrice did something risky, helpful, and stupid.

"ROGER!" Jessica cried in shock.

"BEATRICE!" I also cried.

Both Jessica and I ran toward the bricks. Roger crawls out of pile with stars orbiting around his head but I had to dig Beatrice out of the pile. She comes out of the pile, weakly, with scratches and bruises on her faces, her braid messed up, and a black eye.

In unison, but with different names, Jessica and I cried out,

"ROGER/BEATRICE, SAY SOMETHING!"

"LOOK, STARS!" Roger cries out after shaking the pain off. "Ready when you are, Raoul!" He giggles a little bit.

"Beatrice, why did you have to do that?" I asked.

"I had to…because Roger shouldn't be treated like a criminal." She mouthed.

"So you were being a masochist?!" I cried out.

"No. I did it because Roger made point about wanting justice."

"But other than that act, are you okay?" Eddie asked.

Beatrice nods her head a little bit.

"Tie the rabbit and his wife together." Doom said. "Tie up the girl and her brother but separate them and line them up next to Valiant."


	21. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

**Beatrice**:

What I did to help Roger was stupid but I couldn't help it. I didn't want Roger to get hit on the head with bricks and get dunked into the Dip while he's unconscious. Now my arm, the one where Smarty shot me, hurts a lot more and I felt cuts getting stung by the air on my face.

When Greasy saw me, he went out of control.

"What happened to you?!" He exclaimed in shock and worry.

"Apparently, when you cut down those bricks," Tommy said. "You didn't stop to see that Beatrice was in the way."

Then, Greasy turns to Smarty.

"_¿Por qué no me dijiste que la chica estaba en el camino! Ella podría haber muerto!_" He shouted to Smarty.

"What is he saying?" I whispered to Tommy.

"He's wondering why Smarty didn't warn him and he was afraid that you were going to die." He replied.

Pause.

"You had your eyes on a 'fryer'!" Smarty shouted at Greasy. "She knew where the rabbit was-!"

"May I interject something?" I asked. "The word you're looking for is 'liar', not 'fryer'!"

"SHUT UP, YOU BROAD!"

"MEATHEAD!"

Now that Smarty was distracted, Greasy pounces on Smarty and fists began to fly. While the fight was covered by a dust cloud, Tommy and I heard random exclamations, punches, and Greasy saying something that I can't understand.

Judge Doom appeared out of nowhere and separates Greasy and Smarty. He tells them to focus on the job that he just told them to do, which was tying Roger and Jessica together. Greasy walked away from me and Tommy and focused on the job.

Tommy and I watched as Roger and Jessica getting tied together with 'escape-proof toon rope' and being guided to a giant cable hook that Doom was bringing down. Well, Stupid was guiding Jessica (with Roger tied to her) by pulling her dress and Wheezy harshly commands her and Roger to move. Smarty was pointing his pistol at Eddie, in order to prevent him from interfering and help Roger and Jessica escape. Greasy was pointing his switchblade at Jessica.

"Time to kill the rabbit! Hee hee!" Psycho giggled and aimed the water cannon at Jessica and Roger.

_To be honest, _I thought. _I think Psycho is more eager to kill anyone without thinking twice. _

Stupid, Wheezy, and Greasy walk away from Jessica and Roger as they're slowly getting lifted up.

"Oh, Roger, you were magnificent." Jessica said.

"Was I really?" Roger asked.

"Better than Goofy."

_I'm no fan of romance. _I thought. _But I have to say, that was really beautiful._

Eddie watched me and Tommy getting our hands tied behind our backs by Wheezy and Stupid. After that was done, Tommy and I were lined up with Eddie. Since Doom didn't the weasels what they should do after Tommy and I were lined up with Eddie, the judge, himself, looked at me and Tommy.

"What are you planning to do with them, boss?" Greasy asked Doom.

"I think that, for now, the girl should carry on with the orders that we give her." Doom replied. "Since she doesn't talk, I think that she should cover us."

"Why make her cover for us?" Wheezy asked.

"Ever since I tried to talk and reason with the girl, she refused to say anything to me. Once we dispose of the rabbit, his wife, Valiant, and the girl's brother, we'll make her cover our tracks until everyone forgets about what happened and until the girl gets very bone-tired to do anything."

Doom aims his Medusa eyes at me and bends down a little bit.

"What do you say, little girl?" He asked me.

_I want you to listen to this, Beatrice. _I heard Roger's lecture in my head. _The next time you're with Doom and if he says something to you, imagine that you're speaking to your mother. If Doom says anything bad or insulting, then I want you to SPEAK UP…_

'Speak up' echoes a couple of times. I snapped myself out of my 'frozen in fear' state and I began to imagine my mom's angry face on Judge Doom's face.

_You could've won all three of those matches if you listen to your coach…You're not watching this until you give me the rating…and you can't go join the church choir because you have a 'B' on your report card…_I imagined.

"WELL?" Judge Doom and the weasels asked me.

_Roger, this is for you. _I thought.

I took a deep breath and spitted on Judge Doom's face, causing everyone to flinch and even Roger and Jessica gasped.

"You son of a bilge rat!" I exclaimed, angrily. "I RATHER DIE THAN COVER FOR YOU!"

"YOU CAN TALK!" Doom exclaimed.

"Frankly, Doom, it's very obvious. You're not the rightful ruler of Toon Town! You're the GRIM REAPER! YOU DON'T GIVE TOONS FAIR TRIALS AND YOU ARE THE MOST SADISTIC, IMMATURE, STINK BRAIN THAT I'VE EVER SPOKEN TO!"

I'm so glad that I got that out of my system. It felt like a long time since I talked like that to anyone. Everyone, Doom, Eddie, Tommy, the weasels, Roger, ad Jessica, looks at me with shock and surprise.

"Beatrice," Eddie whispered.

I turned my head.

"Run."

I gave him a blank look.

"Run for your life. Just go!" Eddie said again.

I nodded my head and took off. I wasn't sure where the exit was and I just ran in a random direction.

"STOP! STOP RIGHT THERE!" Judge called to me. "Sergeant, stop her."

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!" Smarty shouted. "I WANT YOU TO SEE THIS COMING!" I heard the clicking sound from his pistol. "I SAID 'STOP'!"

I immediately fell to the floor and I heard a BANG! And another. Then, another BANG, and that last bang…grazed my cheek.

"BEATRICE!" Tommy called.

"_MUCHACHA_!" Greasy exclaimed.

I heard running footsteps and I slowly got back on my feet. I'm relieved that I'm not shot in the arm or something more vital than that but I don't know what else to think about, other my cheek that was scraped by a speeding bullet.

Smarty approached me and Wheezy put me in a head lock. Judge Doom walked over to me and tilted my chin up.

"You're in for a lot of trouble, little girl." Doom said to me in a low voice.

"Should I dispose of the broad right now, judge?" Smarty asked.

"Not now. Start up the vehicle and prepare the Dip. It's time to start clearing for the freeway."

…..

**Tommy**:

It took a lot of guts for Beatrice to speak out but the awe doesn't last very long. Beatrice is in really big trouble…and so was I.

Before Greasy started Judge Doom's vehicle of…doom, he grabbed Beatrice by her wrists and led her to the side doors of the vehicle. He grabbed me by the wrists, too, and he made us climb inside the vehicle.

"You're really a feisty girl, you know." Greasy said to Beatrice. "I thought that you weren't going to talk to the judge at all. That took a lot of _coraje._"

That meant 'courage' and Greasy pats Beatrice on her shoulder.

She doesn't say anything to him. I can tell that even though Beatrice spoke to Doom, just like Roger told her to do (I suddenly remembered our lecture from the movie theater.), her confidence has hit rock bottom.

Finally, Greasy starts up Doom's vehicle of…doom and I watched Roger and Jessica holding each other's hands and Eddie just stands by himself, wondering what he should do next.

I'm not deaf but I can read lips, thanks to the many years of Beatrice mouthing words to me whenever she didn't want to say anything out loud. I looked at Jessica's lips and I watched her say,

"Roger, darling…I want you to know that I love you. I love you more than any woman has ever loved a rabbit."

Roger smiles.

Like Beatrice, I am not a fan of romance but I thought that those words that Jessica said were really something that tugged on my heart strings.

Beatrice looks at me and says out loud,

"Tommy, if we die tonight, I want to tell you something that I should've told you three years ago."

"About Kaitlin? Beatrice, there's really no need to be too sad over Kaitlin moving away." I replied.

"No, Tommy. Kaitlin didn't move away. She was under a lot of pressure and killed herself in the park."

I looked at Beatrice in shock.

"Really?" I asked.

Beatrice nodded her head and a teardrop ran down from her black eye.

"I'm sorry that I didn't tell you." She said. "I didn't know what to do and I couldn't say anything to anyone. I was afraid that you were going to think that I'm out of my mind."

"It's okay, Beatrice." I replied. "We'll discuss this later, okay?"

Beatrice nods her head.

When I looked back at Eddie, I thought that I saw a teardrop running down Greasy's eye…possibly after hearing the conversation that Beatrice and I had. Then, I looked at Doom's lips. He says to Eddie,

"It's over, Mr. Valiant."

Then, Eddie, with a face of disappointment, anger, confusion, watches Doom walk away from him. I don't know what else to think…other than…a hopeless 'Oh, man'.


	22. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

**Beatrice**:

My confidence is now rock bottom. I did what Roger wanted me to do and I got myself into more trouble. This is why I shouldn't talk! All I ever do is mess things up! I don't what to do now and all I can do is just watch Greasy drive Judge Doom's vehicle, kill Roger and Jessica, wipe out Toon Town and the entire Toon population, and then, I'll wait for Smarty to put me out with his pistol and die just a few hours before I turn seventeen.

If I die tonight, then I would to update my encounters with the people that I've been with.

**Eddie Valiant: **He got over his fear of going back into Toon Town and his risking his life to save Roger. He helped me speak while Tommy and I helped him find the conclusion to Acme's murder. Eddie was good friend to me and Tommy.

**Roger Rabbit: **Like Eddie, he was a great friend and helped me find my voice. Roger was innocent the whole time in the mystery and to me; his name is cleared from the murder of Marvin Acme. I am certainly going to miss his 'P-b-b-b-lease' and the 'P-B-B-B-B-B' noises that he likes to make.

**Jessica Rabbit: **Although she looks bad, Jessica proved that she really loves Roger and that she didn't kill Tommy. I won't forget her brief faces of sympathy, concern, and compassion that she makes behind my back or when I almost catch her. From now on, I will try not to judge someone by the way they look or behave and I will remember what Jessica said to me before we arrived at the Acme Factory: "I'm not bad. I'm just drawn that way."

**Judge Doom: **A bilge rat, a murderer, and a terrible judge who needs to go back to law school. He should've thought twice before asking me to do terrible things for him. Now, it seems that he's going to get away with the murder of R.K. Maroon and Marvin Acme.

**Smarty: **He's still the same with his sadism and malapropisms. Smarty is a meathead and I think he always will be one. I seriously think that he should read a dictionary or a five hundred page book so that he can extend his vocabulary. He better read or I'll be his worst nightmare and I'll haunt him in his mind. I'll make him take back the numerous occasions when he called me a broad.

…and **Greasy: **He still has his eye on me. Sure, he's been a gentleman in the past but Greasy is just inappropriate during his encounters with me. He kissed my cheek in the back of the Toon Patrol car and he is constantly in my personal space. After I finally confessed to Tommy about Kaitlin, I couldn't tell if Greasy was shedding a single teardrop or if he was sweating.

"Beatrice, what's the plan now?" Tommy whispered.

I glanced at him.

"Why do want to know? I don't have a plan. We're done for." I mumbled.

"Beatrice, you always have a plan. I'm not talking to the Beatrice who's thinking of a plan almost all of the time, climbs trees, draws, and plays tennis. I'm talking to the Beatrice who lost her voice because she stood up for herself…twice…and is completely traumatized by the death of her best friend. I feel like that I don't even know you and I'm talking to stranger." Tommy said.

"Thomas J. Birchwood, I'm the Beatrice who followed someone's advice on speaking up for myself and to save you from getting killed! Don't you remember the water board?! I spoke up because you are my brother and I care for you! Now that Judge Doom is mad at me and wants to kill me…all I can do is-!"

Then, I heard a hard knock on the window. Greasy rolls it down and Wheezy's head appears.

"Judge wants you to take the girl and her brother out of the vehicle and line them up with Valiant." He said in a raspy voice.

I heard Greasy sigh and then, he swings the door open. After he got out of the vehicle, Tommy and I got out. The weird thing was the rope that was tied around my wrists was cut apart. Frankly, I had an idea. Greasy. He probably started cutting the rope while I was talking to Tommy.

"Pretend that your soft hands are still tied behind your back." He whispered to me. I did what he told me.

When Tommy and I were at a good distance away from Greasy, I heard Tommy say,

"Beatrice, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I said that I acted like I don't know you. I thought that you changed-"

"Tommy," I said. "It's okay. We'll talk more about this once we get home."

As Tommy and I were lined up, Judge Doom looks at me, Tommy, and Eddie, and says, with solemn,

"It's over, you three. There's nothing you can do to stop me."

Then, he walked away and I watched him with an angry look on my face and I shook my head. If Doom saw me shaking my head, that action would've told him these two words: "You're disgraceful." Thankfully, I stopped shaking my head when Doom looked back.

That's where I notice another funny thing about him.

As soon as Doom looks back, he slips on the fake eyeballs that were on the floor…like he was a Toon. His feet were partially off the ground and he's acting like he just ran on a wet floor and struggling to stop. Finally, Doom falls on his back.

The Toon Patrol laughs at Judge Doom's slip. Even Smarty was laughing. His back was turned, too, and Eddie saw that as an opportunity to take the pistol out of Smarty's hand.

_Come on, Eddie. _I thought. _Just a couple more inches…_

Unfortunately, Judge rolls on to his stomach and shouts "LOOK OUT" to Smarty. With a quick turn, Smarty whirls back to Eddie and points the pistol at him again.

"NOT…SO…FAST." He said to Eddie.

_Oh, no! _I thought.

"HAVEN'T YOU BEEN LISTENING TO ME?!" Doom shouted while covering one of his eyes, which made me slightly suspicious. "ONE OF THESE DAYS, YOU IDIOTS ARE GOING TO LAUGH YOURSELVES TO DEATH!"

That's when an idea hit me.

_IF YOU DON'T STOP THIS LAUGHING (LAUGHING) (LAUGHING), YOU'RE GONNA END UP DEAD (DEAD) (DEAD) JUST LIKE YOUR IDIOT HYENA COUSINS! _I heard Doom say to the Toon Patrol in the bar. _ONE OF THESE DAYS, YOU'RE GONNA DIE LAUGHIN' (DIE LAUGHIN') (DIE LAUGHIN')! _I heard Smarty's voice while searching through Eddie's office.

That's it!

What if the Toon Patrol really does die laughing? I mean, just because someone in the human world uses an idiom or a figure of speech, it doesn't always mean that they mean something literally. Can the weasels really die laughing? I don't know but Eddie needs to know!

"Should I 'repose' of them right now, Judge?" Smarty asked.

'Repose' is a word but the right word in this situation should've been 'dispose'.

"Let the boy, his sister, and Mr. Valiant watch their Toon friends get dipped and then, shoot them." Judge replied and walked away…probably in humiliation.

"With pleasure." Smarty said.

Then, the weasels laughed in a sadistic matter.

When Doom disappeared, I whispered to Eddie and Tommy about my plan. We'll entertain the weasels with many types of Toon slapstick comedy until they literally laugh themselves to death. After telling them the plan, Tommy smiled and Eddie whispered in my ear, "I hope this works because Toons don't die unless they're dipped."

"We still have to try." I whispered.

Eddie looks at Smarty and asks him, "Everything's funny to you, ain't it, Needle Nose?"

"You got a problem with that, Valiant?" Smarty asked with intimidation.

"I don't have a problem." I said, distracting him.

"Neither do I." Tommy said.

"But we want you to know about the rabbit that you're gonna dip!" Eddie said.

He spins around and turns on this giant music machine thing. Bright lights were switched on and carnival music was playing. Smarty, the rest of the Toon Patrol, Roger, and Jessica turn their heads toward the machine and Eddie, Tommy, and I.

While singing along with the _Merry-Go-Round Broke Down, _Eddie starts to do an improvised dance from scratch, meaning that there are no written steps or instructions.

"_ 'Roger' is his name,_

_ Laughter is his game…_"

While dancing, Eddie walks away from Smarty, pretending that he didn't see a giant broomstick that was on his right.

"_C'mon, you dope,_

_ Untie his rope,_

_ And watch him go insane."_

Eddie steps on the broomstick and it hits him in the face. He turns around, jumps up, lands on the broom, and it hits him again. This time, after getting hit, Eddie does a forward flip.

The Toon Patrol laughs but the laughs weren't hard enough. Eddie does a series a backflips, causing the Toon Patrol to laugh more.

Tommy and I hand Eddie three bowling balls and I have a feeling that he's going to juggle them.

"_This singin' ain't my line._

_ It's tough to make a rhyme!_

_ If I get stuck…_"

Uh oh.

"_I'm…I'm out of luck…_

_ I'm…_"

" 'I'm running out of time'!" Jessica and I yelled in unison.

"Thanks!" Eddie replied.

He tosses the bowling balls in the air and they all land on his hand. They didn't seem to hurt Eddie and as he staggers back, Eddie slips on a banana peel and falls into a pile of boxes. The Toon Patrol were cracking up really hard.

…

**Tommy**:

Then, Eddie jumps out from the pile of boxes on a pogo stick. He jumps around the factory, getting higher and higher up into the air as he goes. Eddie hits his head on a hanging light and it electrocutes him a little bit. The weasels continue to crack up and Eddie comes back down the ground.

"Come on, let's help him out." Beatrice said. "I actually have some good jokes to tell. I'll tell a joke and you tell a joke."

I nodded.

Beatrice takes a slingshot out of her pocket and she wraps the rubber band part with a rock. She's making an improvised microphone.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen." Beatrice said in her 'microphone'. "How are y'all doing tonight?"

The weasels still continue to laugh.

"Well, Tommy and I have some good jokes to tell y'all." Beatrice said.

"Tell us one! Tell us one!" Wheezy exclaimed.

"Why did Goofy stare at the label on a carton of orange juice all day?" She asked.

"Why?" Psycho cried out.

"Because the label said 'concentrate'!"

Oh, my gosh! That was awesome! Every weasels laughs, even Roger and Jessica agreed that Beatrice's joke was awesome.

"That was a very good one!" Eddie exclaimed.

"Let me tell one!" I said.

Beatrice hands her 'microphone' to me.

"Why are ghosts bad at telling lies?" I asked.

"Uh…" Stupid said.

"Because you can see right through them!"

Beatrice and the Toon Patrol cracked up. As our little entertainment show continues to give the weasels humor, they were laughing harder and harder by the second.

"Let's keep up with the jokes." Beatrice told me. "I'll tell Disney jokes and you tell other random jokes."

"Let's put the slingshot away first." I said because it was a little bit of a distraction.

Beatrice puts the slingshot back into her pocket.

"All right, y'all." She said. "Why are there no planes where Peter Pan lives?"

"Why?" Roger called out.

"Because they can 'never land'!"

As the laughing got harder and harder, I decided to give another ghost joke.

"What's a ghost's favorite dinner?" I shouted.

"Ha, ha! HA, HA, HA, HA! What?!" Smarty laughed.

" 'Spook-getti' and meatballs!"

The Toon Patrol lost it. Stupid fell off the ladder that he was climbing on and he landed on his back. Wheezy laughed and laughed that he was getting more smoke out of his mouth than normal.

That's when I heard Stupid wheeze, gasp like he was having an asthma attack, and then, he lies perfectly still with a flower in his hands. That was scary. Beatrice and I watched Wheezy laugh while standing on the very top of the ladder. He, too, stands perfectly still after making a final wheeze. The ladder falls down with Wheezy still attached to it.

"Keep it up, you guys!" Roger shouted. "You're killing them; you're slaying them, YOU'RE KNOCKING THEM DEAD!"

The ladder hits a lever that causes it to drop a fifty ton block on a wooden plank. On the other side of the plank, a box of weights is catapulted into the air. One of the weights hits another lever that activates a conveyor belt.

Eddie stands up and sings to Smarty,

"_I'm through with taking falls,_

_ I'm bouncing off the walls…_"

He points his finger to Smarty and Smarty mirrors it with his pistol.

"…_Without that gun, I'd have some fun,_

_ I'll kick you in the-_"

The last line was interrupted by a vase landing on Eddie's head.

"NOSE!" Roger exclaimed.

"'Nose'?" Smarty cried. "That don't rhyme with 'walls'!"

For a weasel with malapropisms, Smarty knows what rhymes and what doesn't. Also pretty bad with grammar, too.

"No," Eddie said. "But this does."

Eddie kicks Smarty in between the legs and Smarty flies and lands in a pile of boxes. He is knocked out, as if some famous wrestler had slammed him down in the center of the fighting ring.

Eddie, Roger, Jessica, Beatrice, and I watched Greasy and Psycho laugh at Smarty getting kicked and knocked out. Greasy was laughing so hard that he opens the door of the vehicle and then, he falls out. I heard the engine of the vehicle start up. When Greasy lands on his back, he wheezes. He looks at me and cries out,

"_Dile ... tu hermana ... que ... la amo!_"

Greasy passes out after the last two words.

Psycho is the remaining weasel who's laughing. He's jumping and giggling behind the water cannon and his hand hits a lever…that causes the machine to SHOOT DIP at Roger and Jessica. Thankfully, Roger and Jessica push themselves out of their way.

When Psycho was about to fall off the platform of the cannon, he holds on to another lever and it makes the water cannon shoot Dip in another direction. Psycho laughs hard again and he lets go of the lever, falling on to a rolling brown brush roll thing. After a few rounds of spinning, Psycho ricochets and hits the same lever, making the water cannon slowly turn back to Roger and Jessica. After hitting the lever, Psycho's body is shot in another direction and he lands in another pile of boxes. Like the other weasels, Psycho lies perfectly still.

"We have to move their bodies to a higher level of ground." Beatrice said. "It's time for the Toon Patrol to go jail as soon as we get the police."

"I already called Delores and she's working on it." I replied.

She better hurry up with the police and medics because we still have to stop Doom and his vehicle of…doom and death.


	23. Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty One

**Beatrice**:

Well, the plan worked but I am a little traumatized after seeing the weasels…literally die laughing. Sometimes I don't understand why Toons can be scared of idioms.

Anyway, Tommy and I dragged the bodies of the Toon Patrol and lined them up to the side of the entrance. Stupid was the heaviest weasel to drag and the others were surprisingly very light. When the police show up, Tommy, Eddie, and I would make up some excuse that'll get us off the hook.

After Tommy and I lined up the Toon Patrol, we had to help Eddie shut off Doom's vehicle and save Roger and Jessica. Eddie started to climb up the ladder that led to the water cannon. I felt the vehicle move and I almost fell down the ladder. Despite of the throbbing in my left arm, I continued to climb.

When Eddie, Tommy, and I made it to the platform, I had to look out for Judge Doom. Who know where he'll pop out and surprise us with an attack. Roger and Jessica urged us to hurry and Tommy had to tell them that we're going as fast as we can.

"Eddie, we have to hurry!" I cried.

"We're almost to the lever!" He replied.

Eddie crawls to the lever and Roger and Jessica push themselves away from the Dip, fearing for the worse. Finally, Eddie pulls the lever and the water cannon turns around, spraying the Dip in another direction away from Roger and Jessica.

"YOU DID IT!" Roger exclaimed joyfully.

"EDDIE, BEATRICE! LOOK OUT!" Tommy shouts.

"WHAT?!" I called.

Then, Judge Doom slides down a line with his cane and lands on the platform. He punches Eddie and pushes me and Tommy. We fall off the platform and land in a pile of boxes full of junk. Judge Doom, who managed to make the cannon spray the Dip back to Roger and Jessica, jumps off the platform.

"This isn't over, DOOM!" I shouted after getting out of the pile.

He doesn't answer.

Eddie stands up in a fighting stance and Tommy does the same. I took my slingshot out of my pocket and loaded it up. Doom PULLS OUT A SWORD out of his cane and points it at us.

I gasped in horror and nearly launched a rock at Doom.

Eddie and Tommy frantically search for a weapon and Doom comes closer and closer to us as Tommy and Eddie look for a weapon.

"I found more swords!" Tommy exclaimed.

Eddie and Tommy each take out a sword out of a box and prepare to swing. Unfortunately, this happened:

"_Wicked witchcraft…_" Their swords sang.

_What on Earth are these?! _I shouted.

I looked at the box.

"'SINGING SWORDS'?!" Tommy and I exclaimed.

Tommy and Eddie immediately toss their swords aside and Doom smiled.

Eddie takes out a giant toon magnet and points it at Doom, which was the worst idea ever.

…..

**Tommy:**

"Beatrice, go shut off the cannon! Tommy and I will handle Doom!" Eddie cried.

Beatrice, without hesitation, makes a run for it. Doom nearly hits Beatrice with his sword but she launches a rock with her slingshot and it hits Doom on the forehead. Despite of the staggering, Doom doesn't fall.

When Eddie starts fighting Doom with a giant toon magnet, yellow zig-zag hands come out and try to distract Doom. He takes advantage of the hands and they pull him towards us.

"Eddie, Eddie! Turn the magnet around!" I cried.

Eddie did what I told him and Doom stops coming towards us. Unfortunately, the magnet draws a barrel and it traps me and Eddie.

Doom sheaths his sword and says in a low voice,

"Don't move."

He walks away from me and Eddie.

"What do we do now?" I exclaimed.

"We can't just sit here!" Eddie said.

"I know!"

Then, I heard a gunshot and Beatrice exclaiming in pain.

"BEATRICE!" Roger, Eddie, and I exclaimed.

"AHH!" Beatrice screamed. "My thigh!"

Then, Doom comes back with a steamroller and drives it towards me and Eddie.

There was no time to lose and Eddie and I struggle to separate ourselves from the barrel.

"Eddie, the portable holes!" I cried.

"Can you reach them?" Eddie asked.

I reached for a couple of boxes that were beside me and Eddie with my foot.

"HURRY!" Eddie cried out.

I kicked down a stack of boxes and grabbed a couple of boxes. We open them and slap them down on the magnet, leaving enough space for me and Eddie escape.

We climbed on to the steamroller and knock Judge Doom out of his seat. He falls out and the steamroller moves away.

"Go help Beatrice, Tommy!" Eddie said. "I'll handle Doom!"

I, reluctantly, ran to Beatrice. I found her lying on the floor in a small puddle of blood and putting her hands on the side of her left thigh.

"Doom saw me trying to shut off the water cannon." Beatrice said. "I was on the platform, getting ready to pull the lever, and that's when I felt the bullet. I didn't see Doom until I was on the floor. He left after he saw me fall."

Then, we heard Eddie scream.

"Beatrice, try to stand back up and shut off the vehicle." I said. "I'll support you if you fall."

Despite of Beatrice groaning in pain a little bit, she says,

"No, Tommy. Go help Eddie."

"Beatrice, Eddie wants me to-"

"Don't worry, Tommy! I'm a trooper! I'll be all right."

Despite of what Eddie told me, I ran back…not before tearing off a strip of my shirt and gave it to Beatrice.

"Put some pressure on it and try to stop the bleeding." I said.

Then, I ran back to Eddie and I didn't look back, not even when Beatrice exclaimed in pain a little bit.

When I saw Eddie fighting Doom, he was holding a small pot of Acme Super SUPER Glue and was prepared to knock Doom out. Unfortunately, Doom grabbed the pot of super glue and he and Eddie spun around. I saw the steamroller coming back and Eddie was really close to it when Doom punched him.

In defense, Eddie blocks another one of Doom's punches with the pot of super glue. It breaks open with the help of Doom's fist and glue covers his black-gloved hand.

The super glue was really sticky when Doom tried to shake it off his hand. When the pot got off his hand, more glue leaks out. Doom tries to punch Eddie again but Eddie dodges out of the way and Doom's fist gets stuck on to the roller.

"Beatrice is in a worse condition right now!" I said. "Let's help her turn off the water cannon!"

"Right!" Eddie said in return.

We ran back to Beatrice and we found the vehicle's door opened and Beatrice hanging on to the steering wheel, as if she was trying to prevent herself from falling in a pool full of piranhas. She was even using her left arm, despite of the previous gunshot wound.

"I almost got it!" Beatrice said.

Her leg was partially covered with her blood.

"HURRRYYYYY!" Roger exclaimed. "P-B-B-B-LEEEEEASE!"

Eddie places his hands underneath Beatrice's feet and pushes her up. She reaches for the keys and switches off the vehicle as soon as the Dip was at least two inches away from Roger. The water cannon stops spraying Dip and Roger and Jessica sigh in relief.

"I wasn't worried." Roger said to us and turned to Jessica. "Were you?"

"Beatrice, can you still stand on your left foot?" Eddie asked Beatrice.

…

**Beatrice:**

I was interrupted by Doom screaming.

Doom's foot was stuck on the roller and he screams in a high-pitched voice. Roger, Jessica, Eddie, Tommy, and I watched Doom in shock as we see him lie down on the floor. The steamroller continues to move on top of Doom and struggles to pull himself out but no luck.

As Doom continues to scream in agony and pure terror, every part of his body was getting squished by the steam roller, his feet, his legs, and the upper half of his body. When the steamroller got to Doom's head, he stops screaming and I was breathing heavily. The steamroller rolls away as soon as Judge Doom was as flat as a flounder.

"Well," Tommy said. "He's gone."

"The bleeding's getting worse." Eddie said. "We need to take you to the hospital. Did you call Delores before you arrived here?"

"Yes, Eddie." Tommy replied. "I told her to bring the police and medical staff."

"Why is it taking so long for them to show up?" I asked.

"EDDIE, BEATRICE, TOMMY, LOOK!" Roger exclaimed and pointed his ear at Doom's body.

We looked at the spot where Doom was flattened by the steamroller. His arms coil up and he sits up. I gasped as I watched Doom hop back on to his feet, Toon style.

"HOLY SMOKE! HE'S A TOON!" Eddie exclaimed.

In a strangled, slightly high-pitched voice, Doom turns to Eddie, Tommy, and me and asked,

"SURPRISED?!"

"Yeah." Tommy said.

"After noticing some strange things that you partially exposed, it was a little predictable. But yes, I'm surprised." I replied.

"Well, I'm not really surprised." Eddie said. "That lame-brained freeway idea could only be cooked up by a Toon."

As Doom staggers towards a gas tank, he cries out,

"NOT JUST ANY TOON!"

"What are you talking about?" Tommy and I asked in unison.

Doom puts his lips on the nozzle and turns a valve on the tank, causing a lot of air to inflate Doom back into his original three-dimensional shape. I watched in surprise and confusion when Doom was slowly getting re-inflated.

His feet, hands, and head were no longer flat and Doom's hat pops off his head, due to it getting wider and rounder. Doom's head exposes a tuft of crazy white hair. Then, two giant marble-sized eyes, possibly prosthetic, pop out of his face.

"What the-?" I said in a stage whisper.

Then, slowly, Doom turns around, looking at me, Eddie, and Tommy with a giant evil grin and…BURNING RED EYES!

Eddie gasped, I screamed briefly, and Tommy screamed, "OH MY!"

"REMEMBER ME, EDDIE?!" Doom exclaimed and continues to speak as his voice grows into a dangerously high-pitched voice and as if every word in his sentence was punctuated with an exclamation point. "WHEN I KILLED YOUR BROTHER…I TALKED!…JUST!…LIKE!…THIIIIIIIIIIS!"

Then, Doom's eyes take the shape of daggers with red tips.

Eddie, Tommy, and I try to turn back and run but Doom catches up to us with the help of metal springs sprouting out of his feet. He grabs me, Eddie, and Tommy and gives us a powerful paralyzing stare. Eddie's face is frozen with shock and Tommy faints. I am completely frozen with fear.

Doom throws us down on the floor, thus causing more pain and blood on my leg. Judge Doom flips open the vehicle door and switches it back on. The water cannon slowly rises back up as the Dip is getting sprayed out of it.

Doom takes off his right glove, exposing a yellow anvil for a hand. He picks up Eddie and punches him, sending Eddie flying through the factory and landing on his back. Doom tries to pick me up but with my left leg, I swipe it and kicked Doom's ankle. While staggering, I drag Tommy and myself away from him. I stopped when the pain in my thigh increased.

But Doom doesn't give up. He picks up my unconscious brother and punches Tommy, sending him flying in the air and landed several feet away from Eddie.

"Should I kill you first or should I kill your friends?" Doom exclaimed at me.

I was paralyzed in fear and my mouth couldn't move.

Doom takes the anvil off and exposes…a BUZZ SAW! He turns around and slowly, he walks to Eddie, who is so scared that he can't even sit back up.

I grabbed on to a valve and attempted to stand up. A valve? I looked at the vat of Dip and then, a knob that is connected to the valve.

_If I turn this knob, _I thought. _Will Dip come out of it?_

I fell back down on my bad leg and attempted to turn the knob. I couldn't turn it. The knob is too tight.

I looked back at Eddie and I saw Tommy crawling towards a pile of wood. Then, my vision started to get fuzzy. I closed my eyes and shook my head. When my vision half blurry-half clear, I saw Tommy taking out…A TOON WOODEN MALLET.

THAT'S IT!

"Tommy!" I called.

He looks at me.

"Tell Eddie to use that mallet and throw it to me!"

My vision goes blurry and I thought I saw two of everybody.

When Doom was about to saw Eddie in half, Eddie rolls out of the way and Tommy hands him the mallet. Eddie aims the mallet at Doom and shouts, "HERE, BEATRICE!" The boxing glove pops out of the mallet and Doom dodges out of the way. I grab the boxing glove and the rest of the mallet comes retracting back.

Doom looks at me and with determination, I stand up; aim the mallet at the knob and shout, "HEY, DOOM! WANT TO GO FOR A LITTLE DIP?!"

The boxing glove hits the knob and Dip comes spraying out the valve. Doom screams in fear and as I am pushed up in to the air (because of the force of the mallet), I watch Doom get sprayed by the Dip.

I landed a few feet away from the spot that I was standing on and my vision was getting disoriented. Every voice was echoing and everything sounded like someone was messing with their volume. I'm losing a lot of blood.

"_I think (think, think, think, think)…I'm gonna faint (faint, faint)._" I heard Jessica say out loud.

_I think Roger and Jessica are safe from the Dip. _I thought.

I heard Judge Doom scream in agonizing pain and with a blank look on my face, I watch Doom stand in the Dip (which I saw it cover the entire factory floor) and his body slowly is crinkling up and shrinking.

"_I'M MELTING (MELTING), MELTING!_" Doom's voice echoed.

Doom continues to scream as he dissolves and he finally stops when his head touches the Dip. His dissolved body disappears with green smoke rising up.

While the vision was going in an insane pattern of going blurry and getting clear and everyone's voices were echoing my mind, I heard what was going on and I rolled on to my back.

"_EDDIE (EDDIE, EDDIE), DO SOMETHING!_" Roger shouted later.

"_EDDIE (EDDIE), THERE'S DIP EVERYWHERE (EVERYWHERE, EVERYWHERE)! HOW ARE WE GOING TO GET DOWN (GET DOWN, GET DOWN)?_" Roger shouted later.

Then, I felt cold water touching my skin. Noises, like a wall breaking, a blaring train whistle, Doom's vehicle getting smashed, and chirping birds echoed in my head.

"_Jeepers, EDDIE (EDDIE)! THAT WAS A CLOSE SHAVE (CLOSE SHAVE)! I THOUGHT FOR SURE THAT OUR GOOSE (GOOSE, GOOSE, GOOSE) WAS COOKED (COOKED, COOKED)!_" Roger exclaimed.

"_My hero (hero, hero, hero). Oh, honey bunny (honey bunny, honey bunny)!_" Jessica exclaimed.

The ceiling above me was looking weird. I was seeing more than two hanging lights and the ceiling was going from dark to light over and over.

"_Beatrice, (Beatrice) how are you holding up? _" Eddie called to me.

I moved my lips but no sound came out.

"_BEATRICE (BEATRICE, BEATRICE)! _" Tommy's voice rang out.

Running footsteps echoed in my mind and I was seeing two Eddies, Rogers, Jessicas, and Tommys standing above me in concern. I felt Eddie's hand rubbing my head.

"_Don't worry (worry, worry), Beatrice._" Eddie said to me, echoing. "_Help is on the way (the way, the way, the way). Hang in there (there)._"

More sounds were heard and echoed. Police sirens and ambulance sirens were blaring and echoing.

"_SISTER MARY FRANCES (FRANCES, FRANCES)! WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED IN HERE (HERE, HERE, HERE)?!_" Benny shouted.

I watched Eddie (or the Eddies) wave his (their) hands to catch the medics' attention.

"_We got a girl who's been shot (shot)! She's losing consciousness!_" Eddie shouted.

Then, I heard some men shout orders to other men and their voices, along with the other voices, echoed in my mind.

"_Bring in more stretchers (stretchers, stretchers, stretchers)! One for the girl (girl, girl, girl) and five more for the weasels (weasels, weasels). It seems that they're-_" Santino shouted.

My vision and my world goes black and I don't hear anyone talking.


	24. Chapter 22 part one

Chapter Twenty Two part one

**(Hey, y'all! This is imaginarytoon1. In this chapter, like the chapter where Beatrice and Tommy talk about Kaitlin, the characters' points of view will constantly change as they speak. **

**And due to the time with excess homework, I will upload two parts of this chapter. The first part, which is obviously this one, is already uploaded but the second chapter will be uploaded later tomorrow night.**

**That's all I have to say!**

**-imaginarytoon1)**

**Tommy**:

When I saw Beatrice getting rolled away with the Toon Patrol, the first thought that popped into my head was this: "Beatrice is probably going to be dead by the time she and the medical staff arrive at the hospital."

After thinking that, I thought about the previous times when I nearly lost Beatrice, like:

When she was seven years old, one of her kidneys stopped working and she nearly died after the surgery.

When Beatrice was twelve, she passed out at a wedding ceremony, due to dehydration. Thankfully, Beatrice revived after drinking a lot of water.

And when she was thirteen, Beatrice was hit by a drunk guy in a mini-van. She made it out of the hospital with only bruises on her back and her legs.

Beatrice made it out of these situations because she was considered lucky to many people, including me. Now that Beatrice is getting transported to the hospital, I don't know which thought to predict on what's going to happen. My first thought is saying that I should believe that Beatrice will make it out of the hospital alive but my second thought says that Beatrice will die in the next five minutes.

….

**Beatrice**:

I'm walking through a dark room. I can see my body but I can't see what's in front or around me.

I find myself opening a door and the light led me to a world of people, who I interacted with in the past, doing, wearing, and saying crazy things.

I saw Eddie and Delores as figure skaters and they ice-skate in Figure Eights and Delores does a leap. Eddie catches Delores and spins a flawless three-sixty spin. I was really disturbed by Eddie wearing a black ice-skating outfit with frilly sleeves.

….

**Tommy**:

Eddie drove me, Roger, Jessica, and Delores to the hospital. Without stopping more than three times, he follows the ambulance.

"Don't worry, Tommy." Roger said. "Beatrice will be all right. We just have to keep our fingers crossed."

"I don't know about hoping for the best, Roger." I said. "Beatrice has been in many near-death situations and she has been lucky. I don't know if Beatrice is going to be lucky this time."

"Keep your chin up, Tommy." Eddie said to me. "Your sister will be all right."

…

**Beatrice**:

As I continued to walk through the world of abstract activities, I was deeply disturbed again when I saw the Toon Patrol dressed up like the Jackson 5. Greasy, Smarty, Wheezy, and Psycho had afros and suits that sort of resembled their present outfits but Stupid was the only one who wasn't wearing pants or had an afro on his head, which made him stand out.

My cheeks burn with embarrassment and shock and I tried to walk away from the 'Weasel 5'. Of course, they followed me and Psycho was leading them in one of Jackson 5's most famous songs, _I Want You Back. _Instead of throwing himself down on the ground or walk in a random pattern, Psycho flawlessly sings the song. Even his eyes weren't spinning spirals, showing me that Psycho is calm.

Really weird.

…

**Tommy**:

Eddie, Delores, Jessica, Roger, and I sat down in a waiting room and waited for any signs of life coming from Beatrice. My foot is tapping on the floor and I look around the waiting room nervously.

"Tommy," Eddie said to me. "Stay calm. Beatrice is going to be all right. She's going to make it out."

"I don't think that she'll make it out, Eddie." I replied.

"What makes you say that?" Delores asked me.

"Beatrice has been close to death a lot while living her life with me. Despite of those experiences, she still makes it out alive. Now that my sister is dragged away to another room and is unconscious, there's an eighty percent chance that Beatrice will die in the next five minutes."

"What's the other twenty?" Jessica asked.

I felt my eyes tearing up and I sniffled.

"I'm saying that the other twenty percent is saying that Beatrice will make it out of the surgery." I replied while trying to pull myself together.

Then, a nurse in a white outfit and dark brown hair walked over to us with a few papers in her hand.

"Which one of you is Tommy?" She asked us.

I jumped out of my seat without thinking.

"IS BEATRICE DEAD?!" I exclaimed.

"Hold on, young man. I just came to you four with some news."

"What kind of news?" We asked in unison.

"First, I wanted to tell you that the surgery for the girl's thigh was a complete success-"

We all sigh in relief.

"—The bullet didn't hit any bones or damage any nerves but the girl lost a lot of blood. We're going to keep a close eye on her and see if she starts to breathe again."

I sat down in mild disbelief.

"I also wanted to tell you about the Toon Patrol." The nurse continued.

…

Beatrice:

The abstract world that I walked through disappeared as I started to whistle the _Top Gun Anthem. _

I heard the sound of a beating heart while I whistled and walked. The darkness consumes me and I can't see anything.

Then, I heard a voice and it barely echoes.

_"HALLEJUIAH, SHE'S ALIVE!" _I heard a voice shout. _"AND SHE'S UP AND AT 'EM AND WHISTLING!"_

I open my eyes and I found a nurse with shiny black hair jumping up and down with glee. My vision goes from a 1950 television set with bad visual quality to a 2010 Hi-Def television. I guess the nurse caught me whistling in my sleep.

"Hey, sweetie." The nurse said to me. "Are you all right?"

"Am I in Heaven?" I asked.

"No, you're in the hospital. How are you feeling?"

"My head hurts a little and my thigh hurts a lot. Plus, I'm really thirsty."

The nurse writes something down on a piece of paper.

"You have four visitors and they're really anxious." The nurse said. "Do you want me to bring them in?"

"Who are the visitors?" I asked.

"Three humans and two Toons."

"Oh, okay. Um, yes, ma'am. You could bring them in."

The nurse leaves me in an all whitewashed room and giggles "Such good manners" as she exits.

…..

Tommy:

"How can all of the members of the Toon Patrol be in a coma?!" I exclaimed. "They died laughing in the Acme Factory!"

"Frankly, you don't know the facts behind the urban legend." The nurse said to me.

"'Urban legend'?" Eddie, Delores, Jessica, Roger, and I asked, in unison.

Just as the nurse was about to explain, another nurse comes by and stops the first nurse.

"SHE'S ALIVE! HER HEART IS BEATING!" She exclaimed.

"MY SISTER'S ALIVE?!" I asked.

"Yes, and she's very lucky, too! She just told me that she's ready to see you."

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

…..

Beatrice:

Now that I'm alive and lying in a hospital bed, I guess Tommy and I can celebrate our birthday together! This time, nothing is going to stop me! NOTHING!

Not even if I'm in a room with dead Toon weasels! HA HA!

…WAIT! WHAT?!

**TO BE CONTINUED…**


	25. Chapter 22 part two

Chapter Twenty-Two part two

**(And now, back to **_**The Birchwood Twins: Toon Town Investigators. **___**)**

**Beatrice:**

I left off where I found myself lying on a bed with a thick wool blanket and now, I notice that I'm in a room with dead toon weasels.

I just can't believe it! I just woke up from passing out and now I'm lying on a bed in a whitewashed hospital room with four dead Toon Patrol members. I don't know why Greasy isn't with the other members, despite of them traveling in a group wherever they go. I probably don't want to know where he is at all.

When I heard the door open, I thought that I was going to see Tommy, Eddie, Roger, Delores, Jessica, or maybe even Lieutenant Santino. I was wrong when I saw two doctors, both with nice-looking mustaches, and a nurse walk in with two red toon balloons and small metal hand pads on a small cart.

"How's the thigh?" Doctor Number One asked me.

I lightly touched the spot where I got shot. It felt like a really big bruise that has covered my whole left leg.

"It kind of hurts." I replied.

"You're very lucky that it didn't destroy any bones or major nerves." Doctor Number Two said.

"Wesley, don't forget about the Toon Patrol." Doctor Number One said. "They're also very lucky, too."

In my head, I imagined a person exclaiming a loud 'WHAT' in my head.

"How are they lucky?" I blurted out. "The Toon Patrol died laughing! LITERALLY!"

"That's where you're wrong." Wesley said. "They didn't die laughing."

"Well, if the Toon Patrol didn't die laughing, then why do they look like they're dead?"

"My guess is probably because they laughed so hard that they forgot to breathe and fell into a coma." Doctor Number One said. "If they died like the Stand-Up Brothers, then that would've been a tragedy."

_Who are the Stand-Up Brothers?_ I thought. _Are they the weasels' hyena cousins that Judge Doom talked about?_

"Smith," Wesley said. "Prepare to revive the Toon Patrol."

I carefully sat up in curiosity and with the nurse and Wesley, we watched Smith rub a toon balloon on Smarty's chest (his suit is still on) at a really fast pace. Then, he backed away and Wesley slips the metal pads on his hands. He walks over to Smarty and presses the pads on to Smarty's chest.

I knew what this is. Defibrillation.

The nurse and I jumped back when we saw Smarty's body jerk suddenly. He was lifted at least hand's length in the air and dropped back on to the bed.

"Ehh…" Smarty moaned.

_Gasp! _I thought. I literally said 'Gasp' but mentally. _He's…ALIIIVE!_

"Edith (I believe that's the name of the nurse), roll Pinky into the room that's one door down and come back and take the others into the same room. When you're done, bring in the weasel in the green suit from that room." Wesley said.

"Yes, sir." Edith mumbled.

I watched Edith roll Smarty out of the room and with every round of defibrillation, I jump in surprise and heard Stupid and Wheezy moan. Psycho did jerk suddenly but instead of moaning, he exclaims a 'HEE-HEE HEE HEE HEE' and immediately ceases after falling back on the bed. Then, the remaining Toon Patrol members were rolled out of the room by Nurse Edith and Smith and Wesley leave the room.

A couple minutes later, the nurse who jumped up and down with glee brought in Eddie, Roger, Tommy, Jessica, and Delores.

"Call me if you need anything." The nurse said and left the room.

"OH, BEATRICE! OH MY GOSH!" Tommy exclaimed.

He ran up to me and hugged me really tight.

"Oh, I thought you died." He whispered.

"It's all right, Tommy." I replied. "I'm all right."

When Tommy stopped hugging me (he hugged me for two minutes and thirty seconds straight), Eddie said to me,

"I don't know how you keep surviving these near-death experiences but you are one heck of a lucky girl. You got shot twice, once in the arm and the other in your thigh, lost some blood, and yet, you survive."

"I'm one heck of a trooper." I said.

"Yes, you are."

"How is your thigh, anyway?" Roger asked.

"It's really sore and in a lot of pain. My entire left side of my body hurts." I replied.

"The nurse told us that if you continue to improve, then you'll be released tomorrow afternoon or maybe the day after that." Delores said to me. "Right now, it's five minutes before midnight and we still have to find Acme's will."

"Applesauce!" A grumpy voice exclaimed. "The will is still hidden under our noses and I have a feeling that we've been really close to it the whole time!"

"Baby Herman?!" Roger and I exclaimed.

Eddie, Delores, Jessica, Roger, and Tommy look down and I heard tiny footsteps walking into the room. Delores picks up Baby Herman so that he can see me.

"The one and the only Baby Herman. I came by to see how the girl is doing." Baby Herman said. "In fact, many Toons and the lieutenant are waiting outside of the hospital."

"That reminds me." Santino's voice says suddenly and enters. "We found Doom's body and he had yellow paint around him. Since Eddie told me about Doom being a Toon, we, the other officers and the Toons, myself included, don't know how Doom was able to disguise himself a flesh and blood human."

I knew the answer to that question. Thanks to my experience in my grandmother's theater make-up lessons, I knew how Judge Doom covered up his Toon self.

"The answer is prosthetics, sir." I said.

Everyone looks at me and waits for an answer.

"What do you mean by that?" Roger asked.

"There are two types of prosthetics, one for replacing missing arms, hands, legs, or feet, and the second type is for make-up effects." I said. "Basically, the prosthetics are made from a special type of non-toxic rubber or latex and they can be used to make somebody look like somebody or something else. I think Doom probably figured that Eddie and maybe other people would recognize him and he decided to transform from a Toon to a human with the help of prosthetics and make-up. Doom would've pulled the act off but thanks to some behaviors that I see from Toons, he didn't pull off the act too much. And that's your answer."

Roger, Baby Herman, Jessica, and Tommy applauded while Eddie, Delores, and Santino looked at me with amazement and surprise.

"Way to go." Eddie said with a big smile on his face. "A trooper and a detective. What's next?"

Then, something else hits me when I see a giant ink stain on Eddie's shirt.

"Guys, I think the ink stain on Eddie's shirt just reminded me of the mystery of the Acme's will. Jessica, when you were with Marvin Acme, did he tell you anything else before you played patty-cake with him?" I asked.

"Yes. He told me that Judge Doom wanted to get his hands on Toon Town and wouldn't stop at anything." Jessica replied. "Acme also told me that he had the will with him and gave it to me for safe-keeping. But the weird thing was when I opened the envelope, there was nothing but a blank sheet of paper. After looking at paper for some time, I left the Ink and Paint Club. After arriving home, I realized that I left the paper behind but I decided not to worry about it until you, Tommy, and Valiant broke in to my dressing room. After you dragged out, I decided to look for the paper."

"And Roger, you said that you were wrote a love letter after I talked to you the other night. Is that right?"

"Yes." Roger replied.

"I think we're getting on to something here." Eddie whispered.

"Roger, may I see the love letter?" I asked.

"I have it." Eddie said to me.

"I think she's on to something here." Santino said.

Eddie hands me the letter and I opened it up. I held up the letter under the hanging light bulb that's dangling over my head. I watched the letter carefully for any details.

The details were found after some writing that's written in black ink.

" 'I, Marvin Acme…'?" I read off the letter. "Guys, I think that we've been holding on to the will this whole time."

"Let me see that." Roger said.

I hand Roger the sheet of paper and after reading it, Roger exclaims,

"BEATRICE, YOU SOLVED THE MYSTERY!"

Eddie snatches the paper out of Roger's hands and reads it. He passes it to Delores and she does the same with Santino, reading it and handing the paper to him. Not before placing Baby Herman on my bed.

"Beatrice Birchwood, you did it." Eddie said.

"But how did you figure out the answer, even though you don't have a lot of experience on solving mysteries?" Santino asked me.

"My father is a detective and he taught me a lot of stuff that involved twists, turns, and complicated answers." I replied. "I used the basic steps and recounted some previous experiences that led to the conclusion."

"Well done."

I smiled.

Then, the nurse walks in and tells Eddie, Delores, Baby Herman, Roger, Santino, Jessica, and Tommy that late night visiting hours are over. When my friends and Tommy left the room and said that they were fixing to go back to the Acme Factory, I laid back on my bed, feeling proud.

After the nurse turned off the light, I smiled to myself to sleep. I can talk again and I found the answer to the mystery. I think that as soon as Tommy and I go back home, I'll tell our mom that my voice is back and I no longer have the urge to stay silent again.

_Tonight just got better. _I thought. _And I'm feeling better already._


	26. Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty Three

**Beatrice**:

I found myself in another dream after falling asleep. This time, there are no Toon Patrol members dressing like the Jackson 5. Now, in my dream, I am walking through the city park in Houston, whistling the theme from _E.T. _Then, I saw Kaitlin, who is dressed in white and looking like she doesn't have a single problem to worry about.

"Want to whistle along with me, Kaitlin?" I asked.

"What are you whistling?" She asked.

"The theme from _E.T._"

"You and your movies."

Then, Kaitlin continues to walk somewhere and I whistle _Don't Be Anything Less Than Everything You Can Be _from _Snoopy! The Musical. _

I never felt this awesome since I found the conclusion of one of Dad's mystery puzzles. In fact, I haven't felt like that in a while. It's a new feeling.

I almost stopped whistling when I heard an echoing voice saying, _Wake up!_

I was snapped back to reality and I rolled over to my right side.

_What a weird dream. _I thought.

"I know that you're awake." A voice said.

I couldn't fully make out the voice since I was rudely awakened by it.

"Tommy, visiting hours are over." I mumbled and pulled my blanket over my head. "Come back in the morning."

As soon as I was getting settled, I felt my bed tip over a little bit.

_Is Tommy climbing on to my bed? _I thought.

"Tommy, it's really late." I said. "Please come back in the morning."

I found this weird because whenever I would tell Tommy to do something or when he tells me to do something, one of us would do it right away. I don't think that there has been a single moment when Tommy wouldn't do anything after being asked the first or second time.

Anyway, it was at least five minutes later when I thought I saw a shadow looming over my arm. I rolled my eyes and went back to sleep.

Then, I felt someone rake their fingers through my hair.

"_Su pelo es muy suave._" I heard the voice whisper in my ear.

My eyes immediately opened up in surprise and I sat up suddenly, also in surprise. I looked to my left and I saw…

"GREASY?!" I whispered softly.

"Shhh." He hissed gently and patted my sore left shoulder. "Lie back down, lie back down, lie back down. You're all right."

I didn't lie back down. I was really confused.

"How did you get in here?" I asked in a quiet voice. "Was the door locked?"

"_Sí, estaba cerrada con llave, pero se deslizó por debajo de la grieta._" Greasy replied. "_Trucos toon antiguas nunca fallan._"

I gave Greasy a confused look and said, "I don't understand what you're saying. Can you please say it in English?"

"Yes." He replied. "I said that the door was locked but I managed to slip under the crack. An old Toon trick never fails."

Then, Greasy starts cracking up.

"What's so funny?" I asked.

"When I came in here, I found you…I found you…WHISTLING…your sleep!" Greasy exclaimed.

_Oh my gosh! _I thought nervously. _Did he really?_

"Hey, I've whistled in my sleep multiple times…since I was eight." I explained. "My dad still remembers that one time when I whistled the national anthem for fifteen minutes straight in my sleep."

Greasy laughs so hard that he…groans a little bit in pain and puts his hand on his chest.

"Oh." He groaned. "My chest still hurts from being shocked. I don't even know why I'm here. I was at the Acme Factory and now, here WE are."

_Whoa, wait. _I thought. _What do you mean by 'we'?_

"Do you know why I'm here, muchacha?" Greasy asked.

"Apparently, after laughing so hard at the Acme Factory, you fell in to a coma." I replied and rubbed my eyes with my fingers.

"What's a comma?"

"No, no, no. Not 'comma', 'COMA'. It's when an injury…or an accident…or something causes you to be unconscious for a period of time. A coma can be bad but it really depends on the injury."

"I do remember laughing so hard and even gasping for air…"

"If you're thinking that you died laughing, think again." I said. "'Died laughing' is just a way of saying that you laughed so hard that you can hardly breathe. I mean, really. Nobody can literally die laughing."

"Yes, they can." Greasy said. "My cousins did."

"Your cousins?"

Greasy nodded.

"Didn't Doom talk about your cousins at the bar?" I asked.

" 'If you don't stop this laughing'," Greasy quoted and mimicked. "'You're gonna end up dead! JUST LIKE YOUR IDIOT HYENA COUSINS!'"

I looked around the room awkwardly.

"I'll take your imitation of Doom as a 'yes'." I shrugged and lied back down on my right side.

I felt Greasy's scratchy hand rub up and down my arm (I'm seriously not used to that and I'm scared and uncomfortable.). I winced when he rubbed his hand around the area where Smarty shot me. I didn't exaggerate the wincing but the bruise still hurts like crazy.

"_Lo siento_." Greasy said. "I didn't mean to make you wince."

"What does that mean?" I asked sleepily.

"What does what mean?"

"_Lo siento. _What does that mean?"

"It means 'I'm sorry'."

"Oh."

"Why are you here? I thought that your arm was getting better."

The last part of the sentence reminded me of when Greasy disguised himself as Tommy.

"It was getting really sore and I got shot in the thigh." I replied, sleepily.

"Who shot you?" Greasy asked in concern. "Was it Boss?"

"No, Doom shot me and because of him, my entire left side hurts."

"The bullet didn't break anything, did it?"

"No and I am very lucky."

Then, Greasy wraps his arm around me, as if he was protecting me from something dangerous. I felt constricted.

"Despite of your whistling, you sleep like an angel." Greasy whispered into my ear. "_Yo te quiero mucho._" Then, I felt him kiss my head.

I frowned.

"By the way," Greasy said while raking his fingers into my think head of hair. "Before you left the Acme Factory, did Doom come back and completed the destruction of Toon Town?"

My eyes shot open but I don't show Greasy my look of shock.

"Well, did he?" Greasy asked again.

"Greasy, Doom's plans on making a freeway are actually canceled. Toon Town won't be wiped off the face of the Earth and Doom was dipped."

"Dipped by who?"

I shouldn't have said that Doom was dipped. I really shouldn't have.

I sat up in fear.

"Muchacha, who was responsible for dipping Doom?" Greasy asked.

_Do I have a good reason for this? _I thought. _Well, kind of. I helped Eddie avenge his brother's death. But what would Doom do after wiping Toon Town off the face of the Earth? Would he have dipped the Toon Patrol?_

"You're going to kill me for saying this but…I was the one who dipped Doom." I said.

"What?! WHY?!" Greasy exclaimed.

"I had to dip him for two reasons. One, it was because Doom was wanted for stealing the simoleans and he killed Eddie's brother." I explained. "And two, Doom wanted to wipe out the entire Toon population along with the Toons' homes and places to work at."

"Doom wouldn't dip me, not even the rest of the Toon Patrol."

That's when I realized something else. I sat up and looked at Greasy.

"Greasy, you don't understand." I said. "If Doom actually completed his plans on building a freeway, then he'll think of you and the rest of the Toon Patrol as useless people. He was going to dip you anyway, despite of you being his henchmen."

Greasy, for the first time, slaps me like I just did something really wrong. He turns his back on me and crosses his arms. Despite of the slap, I continued to say,

"I know that you find it completely hard to believe but you've got to learn that some bad guys actually disposed of their henchmen after achieving their schemes."

Greasy turns back around and looked at me, as if he was going to say, "Really? Can that actually happen" with a small frown on his face.

Then, a feeling in my gut tells me that Greasy will strike at me before I even expect it. I began to have that feeling since I saw his switchblade making a bulge in his pocket.

I wrapped myself with my blanket for protection.

"If you're thinking of anything bad, then you can go ahead and get it out of your system. Punch me, slap me, push me, kick me, kill me, do whatever you want but I don't like the way that you're treating me." I said.

Greasy stops frowning and thinks over on what I said to him.

Suddenly, he hugs me tightly and rakes his fingers through my hair. He whispers in my ear, "You're right, muchacha. You're right about Doom. I'm sorry for slapping you. I truly am."

Greasy hugs me so tightly that the pain in my arm increases a little bit. I was about to tell him that he was hurting my arm but he silences me and releases me.

"Are you scared of something?" He asked.

"No." I replied.

"You were trembling."

"Seriously, I'm not scared of anything."

"All right, if you say so."

Then, Greasy looks at something that I don't see and then, he leaves the room…not before patting my head, saying good night to me, and kissing the top of my head. He slips under the crack of the door and doesn't come back.

From what I've experienced was probably the most disturbing thing that I had to face.


	27. Chapter 24 part one

**Chapter Twenty-Four part one**

**(I know that I said in one of the chapters that I've written say that there will only be two point of view stories told by Greasy but I decided to add in another Greasy story after reading one of the comments.**

**-imaginarytoon1)**

**Greasy:**

I was shocked when I heard that Doom was dipped by the _muchacha_ and I shouldn't have slapped her. I was so shocked about Doom's death that I didn't control my actions and I deeply regret the slapping. I can't even figure out why the _muchacha _was trembling when I was hugging her.

As I stand outside of my room in the hospital, I heard Wheezy,

"I wonder what's taking him so long…"

"Greasy will be all right." Boss replied. "You know how he acts around women."

_Sí_, I wasn't the only one who thought about meeting the _muchacha._ Thanks to one of the nurses who brought me back to life from a…coma, Wheezy made a joke about somebody getting shot or something like that. Then, I heard something about Senior Valiant visiting the _muchacha_, who is unconscious. After the nurse left, Wheezy asked me,

"Are you going to visit the girl?"

"She's probably dead." Smarty interrupted.

"I wasn't asking you, idiot."

"His name's 'Smarty'!" Stupid jumped in.

"Shut up, Stupid. I wasn't talking to you either!" Wheezy growled and then, he lit a cigarette. "Greasy, are you going to visit the girl?"

"Yes, I will visit her but when it's a little bit late tonight." I said.

A couple hours later, every nurse and doctor settled down and I began to sneak out of the room that I was sharing with Boss, Psycho, Wheezy, and Stupid. With the help of an old habit, I deflated and flattened myself as if a steamroller ran over me. Psycho slid me under the crack of the door and I re-inflated myself after making it out of the room.

I didn't even pass more than two doors after walking to my right down the hall. I looked through a small window that was on the second door and I recognized the _muchacha's_ face when I saw her lying on her bed.

I did the same trick that I used while I was sneaking out of my room and entered the _muchacha's _room.

I was shocked to see her in a bed, probably in a lot of pain, and I wasn't sure if she was breathing so I walked towards her bed. I put my ear over the _muchacha's _mouth and I felt her breath lightly blowing in my ear.

"_Aleluya, estás vivo!_" I whispered.

Then, the story goes on with me hearing and watching the _muchacha _whistle in her sleep, figuring out why she was here in the hospital, and I find out about Doom's death. Of course, you already know that I left the room and walked back to my room.

"I'm going to check on Greasy and see if he's doing all right." Wheezy said.

Since the room that I'm in didn't have a window, Wheezy didn't see me come back.

"Oh, you're here." Wheezy said, after opening the door.

When I went inside the room, it smelt like Wheezy's cigarettes.

"So, uh, how did it go?" Boss asked, not looking interested.

"The _muchacha's_ fine." I replied. "She survived a gunshot that could've killed her."

"I DIDN'T SHOOT HER!"

"I knew it wasn't. The judge shot her because he found her trying to foil his plans for the freeway."

"Did the judge complete the destruction of Toon Town?" Wheezy asked.

"No, the _muchacha _told me that the freeway won't be constructed and Doom was dipped."

Boss groaned.

I didn't care that Boss didn't like what I said what the _muchacha _told me. He doesn't even like her anyway.

I sighed sadly because I really regretted hitting the _muchacha _and never really figuring out why she was trembling. Whenever I'm away from her, it feels like forever until our next encounter.

"Duh, Greasy?" Stupid asked.

"_Sí_?" I asked.

"Why do you like that pretty girl? You don't act like that with the other pretty women that you've hit with previously."

"Really, Stupid? Did you really have to ask Greasy that?" Wheezy asked.

"Just wonderin'."

I sighed.

"The_ muchacha…_well, I don't know how to answer that. I mean, there's something about her that makes me feel like I have _mariposas _in my stomach." I replied.

"So you really are in love with her." Boss said.

"C'mon, Smarty." Wheezy said. "Cut Greasy some slack. He hasn't been like that in a long time."

"HEE HEE HEE HEE!" Psycho giggled. "YOUNG LOVE!"

"What is it that you like about the girl, Greasy?"

"Oh, my goodness." I said. "There are so many things. She doesn't wear dresses like the other women here wear…has a type of feistiness that I can't even describe…plays the piano exceptionally well…is a person with really soft hands…has hair that smells like my _abuela's _soap…and she has that strong sense of independence that a couple of women do."

Wheezy nodded his head.

"Hmm. Those things that you listed doesn't sound like the list that you made when it comes to looking for women." He said. "You wanted a woman who has a body like or similar to Jessica Rabbit's, is pretty, and she respects you no matter what."

"That was an old list." I said. "Now that I've met the _muchacha, _I changed my old list and started to move on with my new one. She's changed me."

Wheezy nods his head and lights up another cigarette.

"What did you do when you met up with the girl?" He asked with his voice growing raspy by the second.

I chuckled a little bit.

"I lied down next to her and she started talking about Doom, laughing to death, and stuff like that. I did slap her after hearing about Doom's death but I immediately regretted that and I hugged the _muchacha. _I did notice that she was trembling like she was really scared of something." I said.

"Did the girl tell you that she was scared of something?" Smarty asked, suddenly interested.

"She said that she wasn't scared of anything and everything worked out."

"Well, if you like her so much, then she's all yours." Wheezy said. "I haven't seen you like this since high school."

**(To be continued….)**


	28. Chapter 24 part two

Chapter Twenty Four part two

**(And now, we return to **_**The Birchwood Twin(s): Toon Town Investigators…)**_

**Beatrice:**

My curiosity overpowered me when I tried to go back to sleep. Thanks to the doctors and Greasy, who mentioned about a group of toon hyenas, known as the 'Stand-Up Brothers', and how they died laughing, I tossed and turned in my bed trying to go to sleep. Finally, a pastime with Dad finally made me want to investigate.

_"Clues are everywhere, Beatrice._" Dad said during my eight-year-old girl-visiting-the-doctor pastime. "_At the supermarket, school, and even in the house that you're living in._"

_"Can you find clues at the hospital, Daddy?" _Eight-year-old me asked.

_"Yes. I know Scarlett doesn't want me to encourage or excite your curiosity but I have to tell you this. I heard that hospitals have this room where they have certain videos that talk about how people have used health to begin a crime. The doctors always hide the videos from their patients." _

_ "Why?"_

_ "Well, uh, they probably think that someone might get scared or discover something that shouldn't be discovered in the first place." _

_ "What if someone really wants to know, Daddy?"_

The thought ended there after I gave up on trying to go back to sleep.

I knew that the only way to satisfy my curiosity is to find the conclusion of the source and continue my life with the answer.

"All right, Beatrice." I said to myself. "Let's see if you can walk with a wounded thigh."

Thank goodness that the medical staff left my blue shirt, white tank top, denim shorts, and tennis shoes I wouldn't want to go out of my hospital room with a gown exposing my backside. That would be embarrassing.

Anyway, I threw off the blanket and gently swung my legs off the side of the bed. While holding on to the bed, I placed my right foot on the white and bare hospital floor. I stood on my foot and I didn't seem to feel any soreness from it. That's good.

"Let's see if you can stand with your left foot, Beatrice." I said to myself again.

Gently, I placed my left foot on the floor. I stood perfectly still.

"All right, Beatrice." I said. "You can stand with both of your feet. Let's see if you can walk, despite of your gunshot injury."

I took a deep breath and began with my right. As soon as I walked with my left foot, I thought of continuing to walk. Unfortunately, after four more steps, I began to wobble and fall to the floor. Thankfully, I didn't break anything…yet.

_All right, Beatrice. _I thought. _You gave it your best shot. If you still want to continue, then I suggest that you should find something that'll act as your invisible supporter._

It didn't take long for me to find something for support. I found an old worn yarn mop under my bed. I don't know why there was a mop under there but who cares? I just found my walking stick.

I stood on my knees and took the mop from underneath the bed. I stuck the bottom of the mop (the part where you stick it in the bucket of water and disinfectant) on the floor and began to get back on my feet. Despite of the sore and bruised thigh, I managed to stand up.

"All right." I whispered. "Let's walk."

I walked to the door. Thanks to the mop, I made it. But I wasn't sure if the door was really locked, even though I heard it from Greasy himself.

_But still, _I thought. _It doesn't hurt to try and open the door._

I grabbed the knob and twisted the knob. It makes a smooth turn. I don't remember Greasy unlocking the door behind my back and forgetting to lock it back up. Anyway, I opened the door and looked for any passing nurses or doctors.

Not one doctor or nurse in sight.

_Either the doctors and nurses are taking the night off or they're sleeping on the job. _I thought. _Either those two or they're trying to make this investigation too easy for me._

While keeping my guard up, I turned to my left and walked down the hall. I passed by the room where the Toon Patrol was staying. I heard Psycho giggling, Smarty and Wheezy talking, and smelt Wheezy's burning cigarettes.

"Shh, shh, shh, boys." I heard Smarty whisper. "I hear something."

"What is it?" Stupid asked.

"SHHH!" The rest of the Toon Patrol hissed.

There was an awkward pause and I knew that I had to act fast. If the weasels find me outside, then they'll think that I'm eavesdropping on them and they'll probably hurt me more. So I lifted my mop and quickly hopped on my right foot. I hopped and hopped until a sign on my right caught my attention. I turned to the corner and hid as soon as I heard a door opening up.

…

**Greasy**:

"I swear I heard a noise outside!" I whispered.

Then, Psycho walks out of the door and giggles his insane giggle that I'm used to. All of the sudden, Psycho stands frozen stiff and he sniffs something.

"What's Psycho doing?" Wheezy asked.

"PRETTY GIRLY!" Psycho exclaimed loudly.

"SHHHH! SHUT UP!" Boss exclaimed softly. "DO YOU WANT TO WAKE THE OTHER 'PATENTS'?!"

"What do you mean by 'pretty girly'?" I asked.

"Pretty girly…walking down the hall…turning right…" Psycho replied, although not really answering my question.

"It could be an _enfermera _or a doctor." I said.

Then, I noticed that the _muchacha's _door was cracked open. I really wonder why.

"Hey, guys." I whispered and pointed at the open door.

…..

**Beatrice:**

When I heard Psycho yelling 'PRETTY GIRLY', I thought that I was toast. I limped down the hall and followed the sign that said 'Health Cases Room: Down the hall on the right'.

_Try not to worry about the Toon Patrol. _I thought. _You'll make it._

As soon as I was about to enter the room that I was looking for, I turned around to make sure that I wasn't being followed by the weasels. Thankfully, there was no weasel in sight and I entered the room.

I turned on the lights in the room.

There were shelves with a lot of old film reels and a movie projector stood in the middle of the room, pointing at a torn bed sheet that was tied to four corners of the room.

_Okay, this could take a while. _I thought.

I closed the door and pulled down one of those old-fashioned pull down blinds. Good thing that it was black or I would be in a lot of trouble.

…..

**Greasy:**

Boss, Wheezy, Stupid, and I followed Psycho while walking down the hall. He picked up the _muchacha's _scent and I wasn't sure if Psycho had a really good sense of smell or if he was part bloodhound.

Psycho stopped at a door that he almost ran into, thus telling me and the others that the _muchacha's _scent has stopped and she's hiding inside that room.

Boss and I put our ears on the door and listened to the sounds of the _muchacha _groaning, shuffling, and something going DUN.

I was tempted to slip under the door but Boss takes out an oil can from the inside of his coat. He applies a few drops on the hinges and waits for a few seconds.

Then, I heard clicking and a light getting switched off.

"AND NOW," A voice announced inside the room. "THE STAND-UP BROTHERS FROM PROSPECT BOULEVARD!"

_'STAND UP BROTHERS'?! _I shouted in my head. _IS MUCHACHA WATCHING A CLIP ABOUT OUR COUSINS?!_

…..

**Beatrice**:

I watched five toon hyenas pull off many acts of slapstick and odd humor, causing an unseen audience to laugh so hard that they probably peed in their pants.

After watching twenty seconds of a small film of the Stand-Up Brothers, I knew the names of the hyenas, Percival (The other hyenas called him 'Percy'), Gene, Ronnie, Richie, and Hutch. They all act like they share the same thoughts and Gene had a way to make a moment funny or tragic.

It seems that the Stand-Up Brothers like to entertain kids because I heard a few kids laughing with the adults.

After seeing the kids laugh, the film reel ends and I turn on the lights and switched to a reel that explained the cause of the Stand-Up Brothers' deaths. I knew what it was after I found a red-inked note written, 'HYENA DEATHS: PRIVATE! NO VIEWERS EXCEPT FOR DOCTORS!'

It's kind of a complicated process to put a roll of film into movie projector but if you're like me, reading a lot of books and learn how to work things, then connecting a film with the movie projector is kind of a challenge and sometimes really easy.

After turning off the lights, I turned on the projector. It makes that clicking/humming noise while the film was getting ready to start.

A man shows up on the screen with a sad look on his face.

"A tragedy in O.B. Slim Studios…a tragedy so shocking that even the audience can't even handle for more than two seconds. The Stand-Up Brothers of Prospect Boulevard died on August 26th, 1941, due to laughing excessively." The man said. "Toon hyena brothers, Percival, Gene, Ronnie, Richie, and Hutch, were doing a stand-up act in front of audience of adults and children and as a usual comedy routine, the brothers started to whack each really hard with very poofy feather dusters. After some time, a cloud covered up the hyenas and things started to go from a lot of noise to noises of confused clamoring and muttering from the audience. The Stand-Up Brothers were found dead on the set, shocking the audience. As the medics were inspecting the Stand-Up Brothers, one of them heard a loud wheezing noise coming out of Gene, then they heard laughing, and Gene ceased."

"The deaths scared me." A teen girl said. "They even scared my little brother, who happens to be a really big fan of the Stand-Up Brothers."

"Days after the funeral," The man from before continued. "A doctor, Sven Hawkley, wanted to investigate more on the deaths of the Stand-Up Brothers. Despite of a few arguments with the investigation staff, Hawkley was finally let in to the graves of the Stand-Up Brothers and he began investigating. After an hour, he discovers something that'll change the minds of experts."

In a thick foreign accent that I can't identify, Hawkley says,

"No one can literally die from laughing too hard. The reason behind the hyenas' deaths was the idea of the feather dusters having an excess amount of dust. I spoke with the props man about the dust and he told me that he forgot to beat the dust out of the dusters, just to prevent any respiratory incidents from happening. On the day that the hyenas died, the props man was late during the staff role call and didn't have the time to warn the hyenas about the dusters. When the hyenas began to whack each other with the dusters, the props man deeply regretted on watching the dust cloud cover the hyenas. 'As soon as the set was covered with the dust cloud,' the props man told me, 'I heard laughing and then, I heard wheezing. The hyenas were breathing in the dust. After the dust cloud was getting thinner and thinner by the second, the hyenas died on the set…in front of an audience.' After I heard the props man telling me about the things he saw, I believed him. The case was closed."

_Whoa. _I thought.

The man from the beginning of the film shows up on the screen again.

"After that discovery, Hawkley knew that the other experts wouldn't believe him, due to his advanced use of detecting and medical tools and the idea of toon weasels suffocating was absurd to everyone but Hawkley. So the real answer of the Stand-Up Brothers will remain a secret until somebody believes and supports Hawkley."

The clip ended there.

I couldn't believe it. After all this time, everyone thought that five toon weasels died of laughing when in reality, they died after breathing in an excess amount of air containments.

My curiosity has ceased because I found my answer.

_Should I tell the Toon Patrol the truth? _I thought. _Ehh, no. They probably won't believe me. I guess the real answer will always be a secret._

I was beginning to leave the room but I decided to put the film reels before leaving. I don't want to bring up any suspicions from anyone, not even the Toon Patrol.

After putting the film reels away, I walked to the light switch with my mop and turned the light off. I left the room and closed the door. I began to limp my way back to my room.

Although I didn't hop on one foot the whole way back, I made it back to my room at a very fast pace. Along the way, I would turn around and see if I was being followed. I didn't see anyone and I hopped into my room and closed the door.

With my heart beating very quickly, I went back to sleep.

…

Morning came faster than I expected and I rolled over to my left side. It didn't hurt as much and I knew that I was getting better and better.

My hand touched something really scratchy and I heard a faint giggle.

My eyes shot open when I found Psycho cuddling me like a teddy bear. I sat up in surprise and I was shocked to see the rest of the Toon Patrol surrounding me in my bed.


	29. Chapter 25

Chapter Twenty Five

**Beatrice:**

"All right," I said, straightening myself up. "What did I do this time?"

"Psycho, let go of the broad." Smarty said.

Psycho looks at Smarty and rolls off the bed in insanity. He giggles as he's rolling around on the floor, acting like a pig rolling around in mud.

"And do you realize that the term 'broad' is an offensive word for girls, especially me?" I asked.

"We want to know why you were sneaking out of your room." Smarty said. He pulls his switchblade out of his coat and flips it open. "I want answers right now."

Greasy and Wheezy catch Smarty with the switchblade in his hand and sigh in irritation.

"Boss," Greasy said. "We talked about this. Put the switchblade away."

"Yeah," Wheezy agreed. "Let's not use weapons this time."

_Is Wheezy siding with Greasy? _I thought.

"All right." Smarty said and closes the switchblade. "Why were you looking up on some clips about our cousins?"

"My curiosity overpowered me." I replied. "I was really curious about your cousins and I wanted to know why people thought that they didn't laugh themselves to death."

"What are you talking about?"

"C'mon, boss." Stupid said. "You know very well that we followed her and you know why our cousins died."

"Wait, what?" I asked.

"Yes, we followed you and we now know that our cousins died with 'rust' in their 'fungs'."

"It's 'dust' and 'lungs'."

"Whatever." Smarty said. "We didn't want to cause any trouble and thanks for 'corroborating' with us."

"It's 'cooperating'". I corrected.

Smarty rolled his eyes and frowned at me.

"Is that all you're going to do?" He asked.

"Do what?" I asked back.

"Correcting everything that I'm saying. Aren't you going to spit on my face or punch me or something?"

Punching Smarty sounds tempting but I know better than to do that. I have other options and one of them was trying to talk Smarty out of fighting. He probably wouldn't hit a girl like me.

"Look, Smarty." I said. "I don't want to fight you anymore. Plus, fighting isn't always my first choice."

"FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT! HEE HEE HEE!" Psycho exclaimed.

"Oh, really?" Smarty asked me, mockingly.

"I have other choices. I could choose to ignore you, which can sometimes mean that I'm giving you a warning."

"Any other choices, you broad?"

"If you continue to push me around, I can give you another warning, then, an irritating stare, and if you don't listen to any of my warnings, then I can spit on your face and maybe…" I looked down at my right fist. "…maybe, if you go too far, I'll punch you and I swear, you will regret EVERYTHING because the punch would hurt like heck, way worse than a rattlesnake or black widow bite."

Smarty gave me a scared look and the rest of the Toon Patrol looks at him.

"Heh, heh, heh." Greasy chuckled. "What's the matter, boss? You afraid of the _muchacha_?"

Then, Psycho, Wheezy, and Stupid joined Greasy and his laughing. But they didn't laugh for long after complaining about how their chests are still hurting after getting defibrillated back to life. I seriously wasn't trying to sound like a bully but this is another one of those things that I can choose besides fighting. It's called 'giving someone a taste of their own medicine', or 'revenge'…for short.

"No, I'm not afraid of the broad." Smarty said. "But if she still has the 'de-tire' to punch me, then she better get it out of her 'dictum'."

"First of all, it's 'desire' and 'system'." I said. "Second of all, I still don't want to punch you, although I'm really tempted, and third of all, Smarty, read a dictionary or a book with six hundred pages. You have to extend that vocabulary and cut down on your malapropisms."

"All right, all right, all right. I get the point. I don't need any more answers from you."

Smarty leaves the room and everyone, except for Greasy, exits with him.

"Nice one!" He said. "You were on a role!"

"I hope Smarty knows better and thinks twice before trying to mess with me." I replied.

"Yeah, he will."

…..

**Tommy:**

When Eddie was driving me to the hospital, I realized that today was the day that Beatrice and I turn seventeen. I was so busy with helping Eddie on finding the conclusion of the mystery that I wasn't keeping track of the date. Also, if Beatrice is well enough to walk again, then we can drive back home and tell Mom that she doesn't need to treat Beatrice badly or give her bad advice.

I seriously wonder if Mom and Dad have been worried sick after thinking that we've ran away.

"Is everything all right, Tommy?" Eddie asked me.

"I'm just thinking about how my mom would react after hearing Beatrice stick up for herself for once." I replied. "But then again, I'm afraid that if Beatrice tries to speak again, then she'll stop in the middle of her sentence and stop talking."

"I'm sure that Beatrice will speak up. Remember last night when she found the will? Beatrice said a big mouthful of words."

"Yeah, she sure did." I said with a mixture of motivation and doubt.

Eddie detected the hint of doubt in my voice.

"Beatrice will be all right, Tommy." He said sternly, almost sounding like Dad. "Even if she doesn't speak up for herself, she'll be all right. Just stick with her, no matter what. Got it?"

I nodded and Eddie parked close to the door.

"All right. Let's act like we didn't have this conversation and see if Beatrice is good to check out." Eddie said.

We got out of the car and walked in to the hospital. I walked up to the receptionist and told her that I came, along with Eddie Valiant, to check on my sister. At first, the receptionist was confused but when I told her Beatrice's name, she immediately told me and Eddie to follow Nurse Mary, a woman with red curls, red lips, and green eyes.

As soon as Nurse Mary led me and Eddie to Beatrice's room, Greasy walked out of her room with a big smile on his face. I wonder what's making his morning great.

I walked in to the room and we saw Beatrice with a small smile on her face.

"Hey, guys." She said.

"How are feeling right now?" Eddie asked.

"I'm feeling good right now. I wonder if I'm able to walk, even with a gunshot wound in my leg."

"Let's see you try." I suggested.

Beatrice immediately shoves the blanket off of her and swings her legs off the edge of her bed.

"There's no rush." Eddie reminded. "Even though that you're a trooper, there's no rush."

Beatrice slowly slides off of her bed and her feet touch the floor. She takes a deep breath and stands up. She steps with her right foot…then, slowly, she steps with her left. Beatrice winces a little bit but she continues to walk. Then, walking turns to limping but as she walks in a Figure Eight path, Beatrice's limping transforms into almost flawless walking. What I mean to say is that Beatrice is barely limping while walking around.

"Wow." Eddie said. "It seems that you're fully healed already."

"Yay! I can walk again!" Beatrice answered.

"Wow!" Nurse Mary exclaimed. "Way to go!"

Then, Beatrice stands on one foot like she was a stork. Perfectly balanced. She opens her arms, as if she had airplane wings made out of cardboard and cereal boxes taped on to her. Still in perfect balance. I wonder if Beatrice will still have good balance if I had a book…or maybe six bathroom towels…and put them on her head.

Anyway, Nurse Mary looked up on Beatrice's chart and after a brief look, Nurse Mary made it official. Beatrice is well enough to leave the hospital and go home. Eddie, Beatrice, and I smiled in satisfaction.

When we left the room, Jessica walked in and told us that she brought Beatrice's truck. Beatrice thanked Jessica for bringing it over.

Roger came over to us with a big smile on his face.

"Thanks to you, Eddie, Tommy, Beatrice, and Jessica, my name is cleared and the police say that I'm off the hook!" He exclaimed. "Toon Town is saved and we can live in harmony!"

"Judge Doom will no longer come back to haunt the Toons but I'm pretty sure that he'll be a story that'll probably scare many kids and make them behave." Eddie said.

We nodded our heads.

"Well, Beatrice," I said. "Are you ready to go home?"

"Yep." She replied. "It's time to show Mom that I can talk again."

"Beatrice?" Roger asked.

"Yes?"

"I was really proud when you said those things to Doom. I thought that you weren't going to speak up for yourself."

"Well, I did what you told me to and it felt really good to get something out of my mouth."

"As you go back home, Beatrice, I want you to remember what I said about keeping secrets."

"I will remember that, Roger."

"And," Eddie said. "I want you to try to be more careful when you're out on your own."

Then, we said our good-byes. They weren't too emotional and the good-byes were really quick. Beatrice and I had to do them before we go back to Houston.

After Roger gave me and Beatrice two pictures of himself and Jessica wishing us good luck on our way back home, Beatrice and I left the hospital. I volunteered to drive us back home since Beatrice has gone through a lot of injuries and needs a little break from moving around.

I started the truck and carefully pulled out of the parking lot. We were at least fifteen feet away from the hospital when Eddie came running out of the hospital and chased after us. I stopped and pulled over.

"Roger told me that it was your birthday today and he reminded me to tell you 'Happy Birthday'." Eddie said while a little out of breath.

"Thanks, Eddie." I said.

"And I got something for you two."

He reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out two police badges. I looked at the badges and the inscriptions had 'Eddie' and 'Teddy' written on them.

"Eddie, these are really nice but these badges belong to you and Teddy." I said.

"You two can keep them." He said. "Despite of you two being teenagers, you helped me a lot in the case. It's time for me to get new badges anyway. But, ah, these badges are also reminders, to help you remember Roger's set-up and when Beatrice got her voice back. Good luck on your drive."

"Thanks, Eddie." Beatrice said. "These look really nice."

Eddie smiled and left us.

I started the truck again and began our drive home.

Then, something just hit me.

"Beatrice, when Greasy left your room at the hospital, he had a smile on his face. What was he smiling about?" I asked.

"Greasy and I talked about some things. I told him that I wasn't ready to start dating and instead of being enemies or anything worse than that, I wanted to be friends with him. We shook on it and things worked out." She explained.

"Oh."

"I sure hope two things. I hope that Greasy will remember our deal and I hope that Mom doesn't get mad at me once I speak up for myself."

"I'm sure that she won't be too mad. I mean, she will be mad but only a little."

I, along with Beatrice, sure do hope Mom doesn't get too mad.


	30. Chapter 26

Chapter Twenty-Six

**Beatrice**:

As Tommy and I drove, the buildings had changed. They go from old, chipped, and dusty buildings to small, abandoned houses, convenience stores, and shopping centers with shining metal, neon signs with burnt out bulbs, and windows with a high-definition view. Even the weather changed. It was sunny in 1947 L.A. and now, since Tommy and I are in Houston, the clouds are gray and thick and it is raining hard.

"We're in Houston, now." Tommy said.

"Yep." I replied.

Then, I heard a rumbling sound.

"Tommy, please tell me that was your stomach." I said.

"Yep, it's my stomach. I'm driving over to Mr. Jeans' diner right now." Tommy replied to me and turned to the left.

"I honestly don't remember eating during our visit in 1947 Los Angeles." I said.

"Neither do I."

As Tommy parked into the parking lot, I prepared myself to get really wet from the rain while Tommy and I walked to the vintage diner owned by a family friend.

I slowly slid out of the truck and grabbed on the handle on the door. As I began to walk, I closed the door. Tommy stood by me and was looking out for any signs of my left leg giving up on me.

When we got inside the diner, Mr. Jeans' twenty-five-year-old son, Cameron, looks at us with shock. He literally jumped over the counter while accidently knocking down one of his glasses containing his favorite cookie dough shake (my favorite, too) in the process.

"Tommy! Beatrice! Are you all right?" He exclaimed.

"Yeah, we're all right." Tommy replied.

"Where have you two been for the past couple of days? Your parents have been worried sick!"

"Really?" I asked.

"Haven't you seen the signs that your mom stapled all over town?" Cameron asked.

"No." Tommy and I replied.

"There's a sign about you that's stapled on the wall. Go ahead and better have a good look at it."

Tommy and I walked over to the sign. We're seeing a sign printed on white computer paper with colored pictures of me and Tommy. In bold text, the sign said:

**MISSING: T****WO ****T****WINS**

**PICTURE OF ME PICTURE OF TOMMY**

**NAME(S): ****BEATRICE ELAINE BIRCHWOOD**

** THOMAS JAMES BIRCHWOOD**

**AGE: ****ABOUT TO TURN SEVENTEEN**

**EYE COLOR: ****Deep Blue (Beatrice)/ Blue (Left Eye) and Green (Right) Eye (Tommy)**

**INFORMATION: ****Beatrice was last seen wearing a white tank top and black shorts and Thomas was last seen wearing a black oversized T-Shirt and white pants. **

**IF FOUND:** **Email Scarlett Birchwood (email below)**

**Mom's email**

"Wow." I said. "I guess Mom was really worried about us. I thought that she wouldn't care."

"Do you want to call your mom, Beatrice?" Cameron asked.

I started to think something over and came up with a plan two minutes later.

"Actually, I have a better idea." I said.

…

Tommy and I arrived home after eating a French Dip sandwich. We parked my truck next to my dad's police car and quietly walked to the front door.

Before getting out of my truck, Tommy and I knew that Mom and Dad won't believe that we got lost in the world of Roger Rabbit. So we decided to make up an improvised excuse to help us get off the hook.

Anyway, I was about to twist the doorknob but I pulled my hand away from it like the doorknob was Old Lady Swamp's growling Chihuahua who doesn't wish to be easy-going with a person's hand rubs.

"We're home." I said, although it's really obvious.

"Yep." Tommy replied.

"I want to speak up in front of Mom…but I don't know how she will react when she hears me talking again and when she sees that I've been shot, cut, and crushed by falling bricks. I'm nervous."

"I can still help you, Beatrice." Tommy said. "There is always another time to give it a shot."

Then, I suddenly remembered what I said to Doom and when I figured out the conclusion of the mystery of Marvin Acme's will.

With building determination, I said,

"No, Tommy. It's time to settle Mom down. It's time to end her behavior once and for all."

"I'll still help you out." Tommy said.

"All right."

"Ready?"

"Ready when you are."

"Let's go." We said in unison.

We opened the door and entered our house. It was very quiet inside of the house and many 'Missing Twins' posters were scattered around the house.

"MOM? MOM! We're home!" Tommy called.

Then, Mom peeks out of the living room and gasps in surprise.

"BEATRICE! THOMAS! OH MY BABIES!" She exclaimed.

Although not her usual physical behavior, Mom looked like she had been crying for hours. She runs out of the living room and hugs me and Tommy really hard.

Dad comes out of the living room and he joins in the group hug. He looked so happy after seeing that Tommy and I are alive.

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" Dad asked.

Immediately, Tommy said,

"Beatrice and I got lost in El Paso. We were with one of Kaitlin's cousins and he followed the wrong route. Beatrice got injured a little bit but she's okay."

As soon as Tommy finishes his sentence, Mom squeezes herself out of the group hug and crosses her arms.

"I see that you still are not talking to me." She said to me, bitterly. "I said that if you don't start talking by the day you turn seventeen, which is today, then you won't go anywhere unless I'm driving with you. You, missy, are going to take me to my favorite places until you go to college."

I was reluctant to say anything back but after remembering what Roger and Eddie said about speaking up, I snapped after everyone separates themselves from the group hug.

"NO, MOM." I said. "ALL YOU EVER GO IS AN OLD BINGO LOUNGE AND MR. JEB'S DOLLAR STORE."

Everyone looks at me with shock and I keep going.

"I'm so tired of how you're treating me like a bag of trash and how you think that I'm nothing. I am old enough to realize what's right and wrong and I'm not afraid of any man with red eyes and likes dipping shoes in acid. I'm seventeen years old now and I'm sick…SICK of how you put me down, badmouth me, and I don't like the way that you think that I don't look up to you."

"Beatrice-" Mom said.

"HOLD UP! I'm not finished. I'll give you two reasons why I stopped talking to anyone. One, it was because of Kaitlin had committed suicide when I was thirteen and two, it's because you were being really mean to me since I stopped talking. I even tried to make you proud by raising my grades up, going to church every Sunday, and even do chores without you telling me but you lack any appreciation. If you don't stop treating me like trash, then I will NEVER EVER talk to you anymore and show you what it feels like to be me when you're mad at me."

"Are you finished?"

"Yes."

"Way to go, Beatrice." Tommy whispered.

"Beatrice, what did you mean about Kaitlin committing suicide?" Mom asked.

"Kaitlin was going through a lot stress and tension with her parents. They were planning on having divorce and Kaitlin stopped acting like herself. I tried to stand beside her and help her but she acted like she didn't want to have anything to do with me. After that, I told Kaitlin that she was on her own and then, she shot herself. After seeing her lying in a pool of blood, I just stopped talking." I explained.

"I thought she moved away." Dad said.

"So did I." Mom said. "Beatrice, if you told me about Kaitlin, then I would've helped you."

"That's also the problem, too." I replied. "Whenever I tell you my problems, you always roll your eyes and act like you don't care. That's not how a mom should treat her daughter."

"You're right, Beatrice. It's because I get so focused on the many prizes that I win at the bingo lounge and I didn't stop to think about the consequences of playing and winning bingo."

"Seriously, Scarlett." Dad said. "You need to curb your visits to the bingo lounge."

"I know." Mom replied. "Starting tomorrow, I will try to cut down on playing bingo and go to the book clubs instead."

"And Mom," I said. "I promise that if something or someone is bothering me, I won't keep it bottled up inside me. I'll promise that if you promise to cut down on the bingo."

I held my hand out and Mom and I shook on it.

After Mom and I made a deal, our lives slowly changed as we continued to enjoy our summer.

When a fast three weeks passed, Mom almost completely gave up on her visits to the bingo lounge. She's still working on cutting down her visits but still visits the book clubs that I recommended for her. Mom's vocabulary also started to increase a little bit.

Dad decided to stop working as a detective and a police officer so that he could spend more time with us. He still writes books and he's writing a book about how miracles can be found and everyone has something to day, even though they don't want to admit it.

Before I end the story, I would like to say a couple of things.

First, I'm going to say,

As Tommy and I were getting ready for bed, Mom slips a yellow envelope underneath my door.

"Somebody left something for you, Beatrice." Mom said.

I opened the yellow envelope and took out…a blank sheet of paper. After putting the paper over my book lamp, some black ink became visible. Greasy's signature was present at the bottom.

I still didn't think that Mom will believe that a toon weasel named 'Greasy' wrote a letter to me so I decided to keep it a secret.

"They just left a sheet of paper inside, Mom. Probably one of the Garland Boys playing a prank on me." I lied.

"Those boys."

After Mom left, I read the paper, which was now almost completely covered with neat handwriting. While reading the letter, I thought I heard Greasy's voice reading it to me, as if he were in my bedroom.

"Hey, muchacha,

It's Greasy.

I heard that you were well enough to leave the hospital. I was going to say 'adios' to you but I was occupied with the other members of the Toon Patrol because we heard that Flasher and Slimy fell in to a coma after laughing too much. Plus, I'm also going to jail with Psycho's cousins and the Toon Patrol, due to creating a set-up murder, lying to the police, kidnapping, and doing inspection without a permit.

Before going to jail, I looked up your address in a phone book and decided to tell you how I am now.

We're doing all right and we'll be released out of jail after staying for a period of time.

I even made a promise that once I get out of jail, I will try to stay out of trouble.

Until our next visit,

GREASY."

Then, his cologne gave off a smell at the bottom of the letter.

After slipping the letter into one of my desk drawers, I hoped that Greasy will continue to keep his word on being friends instead of enemies.

And finally, the last thing to say before ending the story:

Around three o'clock in the afternoon, while everyone was gone, I stayed behind and started to play _Ordinary Miracle _on the piano.

In the middle of the song, I thought about how I improved while solving the investigation with Eddie Valiant and Roger. Before I met them, I didn't talk to anyone in public. As the investigation progresses, my stages of getting my voice back go from no talking…to little talking…to some talking…to a lot of talking…and finally, I got my voice back. I told Mom about Kaitlin and I even stood up for myself. Tommy doesn't have to be my voice anymore but he still sticks with me in some times in trouble.

I still remain a tomboy, who loves to climb trees, draw, watch TV, and doesn't like pink. Now that I can talk, I can speak up against anything that tries to bring me down, no matter what it is.

As Roger said to me, 'If you keep a serious situation a secret, then it can really affect you. You'll feel like you're carrying a safe on your shoulders.' If I ever have a secret and if I think about keeping it locked up in my head, then I would remind myself about what Roger said to me.

(Sigh) Yeah.

Well, I really hate to say this…but…this is…

THE END!


End file.
